Apple's 'Environmental Obligations Are Not Taken Seriously Enough,' Say British Lawmakers

[MacRumors]

After failing to appear before British lawmakers, Apple has been accused of not taking its environmental obligations seriously enough, particularly on e-waste, reports Bloomberg.

Apple CEO Tim Cook was asked to appear before the Environmental Audit Select Committee of the House of Commons, but failed to respond before a September 4 deadline. Apple was previously asked to put forward a representative to speak on its behalf in July, but it canceled at short notice.

The committee mainly examines how government department policies and programs affect both the environment and sustainable development, and was specifically looking into Apple's actions to combat electronic waste.

Apple's "unwillingness to answer my committee's questions has led us to believe its environmental obligations are not taken seriously enough," said Chairman Philip Dunne in a statement, despite the fact that the company "appears to have a positive story to tell regarding its efforts on climate change."

With more than two billion iPhones sold, Dunne said that Apple's answers about the steps it is taking to minimize its environmental footprint are crucial. An excessive number of electronic devices are too difficult or expensive to repair, creating a "throwaway society for electronics," he said. Apple did not respond to Bloomberg's request for comment.

In February, Apple was fined 25 million euros by a French consumer fraud group and 10 million euros by Italy's antitrust authority for intentionally slowing down some iPhone models via a software update, which could negatively incentivize users to upgrade a newer device. Apple has strongly refuted accusations of planned obsolescence in the past.

Earlier this year, Apple committed to becoming carbon neutral across its entire business and manufacturing supply chain by 2030. This month, Apple announced it will construct two of the world's largest onshore wind turbines near Esbjerg in Denmark, in an expansion of its investment in renewable energy.

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Article Link: Apple's 'Environmental Obligations Are Not Taken Seriously Enough,' Say British Lawmakers

 

[Baymowe335]

Apple is pretty far down their list of concerns if they are really worried about environmental impacts.

Apple just has the most money and public visibility.

 

[Jakewilk]

Of all the companies to go after... not the ones making billions of android devices that are obsolete after two years of updates...

 

[I7guy]

What about market share? Doesn't that play into this at all? Or is that just a myth to be trotted out only on MR to win some types of pejorative arguments?

 

[G5isAlive]

Not really the time to be traveling is it? Though I would like to see some response from Apple. Even if it's 'yep some waste is inevitable.'

 

[Bryan Bowler]

Lawmakers are laughable at best. The moment they don’t get the attention they crave, they come up with clickbait stories. Apple is a true leader in environmental waste issues.

 

[Moakesy]

Hey Tim, we're really worried about Apple's environmental policies. Can you jump on a private jet and fly thousands of miles for no other reason than to talk about it to us? /s

This is more about our MP's wanting to raise their own profile and further their career. If they were serious, they'd be far easier ways to do this, or bigger areas to target first.

 

[TraceyS/FL]

Apple is visible, and the ONLY company that is pretty darn transparent in their environmental efforts. This is a "wth?" kind of statement to me.

 

[mazz0]

Not really the time to be traveling is it? Though I would like to see some response from Apple. Even if it's 'yep some waste is inevitable.'

I imagine they're mostly doing it remotely, so they could use FaceTime if only Apple would make it cross platform.

 

[BeefCake 15]

Shouldn't they be more concerned about Jeremy Corbyn and his cronies?

 

[FoxMcCloud]

Ironic coming from the UK gov.

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[jlocker]

How about China itself, for the last 25 years with pollution out of control from the country. Well I guess it is easier to pick on the United States and US companies.

 

[davidjearly]

Shouldn't they be more concerned about Jeremy Corbyn and his cronies?

Eh?

 

[ghanwani]

The only way to be carbon neutral is to cease to exist. The rest is all song and dance.

 

[Kebabselector]

Shouldn't they be more concerned about Jeremy Corbyn and his cronies?

Please enlighten us about this.

 

[ggibson913]

Apple will recycle for any product it sells for free, including shipping a box to your house. I am unsure what else Apple can do regarding e-waste.

 

[Eriamjh1138@DAN]

I think people are missing the fact that there are billions of Apple devices from iPods to iPhones out there. Some are in drawers, many are in our pockets.

When the next iOS release drops them, there will need to be some recycling done. I think that’s the problem they are trying to avoid.

The comment about crummy android devices is relevant but those are spread across hundreds or thousands of companies. One (Apple) is easier to focus on.

 

[Moonjumper]

Apple are great environmental leaders in many aspects, but repairability is something they have gone backwards on in recent years. I can understand many aspects of it on mobile devices as they have got more compact for competitiveness, although it could be improved. But on desktop Macs, much more could be done.

Macs used to be known for their longevity, but now devices can be rendered useless because professional repair is uneconomic. Inaccessible RAM, storage, etc. on a Mac Mini or iMac could be avoided in many cases. Soldering everything in place is not needed on something that is not transported on a regular basis.

 

[Delta-NC]

Deleted.

 

[ghanwani]

Apple should respond by letting the U.K. know that it’s doing its part to save the planet by no longer including the charging brick with the iPhone!

 

[jlocker]

Apple will recycle for any product it sells for free, including shipping a box to your house. I am unsure what else Apple can do regarding e-waste.

You can send in or take an Apple product to a Apple store for recycling. I am more concerned with the waste and pollution that is created making the devices. They don't grow on a tree and you pick it like an Apple. Pardon my pun. Just because you don't see it, does not mean it does not happen.

 

[ian87w]

Apple's answer for the environment: "We will now not include chargers nor earpods on your $1000 iPhones."

 

[edk99]

I think people are missing the fact that there are billions of Apple devices from iPods to iPhones out there. Some are in drawers, many are in our pockets.

When the next iOS release drops them, there will need to be some recycling done. I think that’s the problem they are trying to avoid.

The comment about crummy android devices is relevant but those are spread across hundreds or thousands of companies. One (Apple) is easier to focus on.

There are "hundreds" or "thousands" of companies making Android devices?

 

[Porco]

Hypocrisy thy name is...

 

[k1121j]

Hard to take any statement seriously from the government that feels it needs to waste time trying dictate what type of charging cord you need for a device you choose to buy.