Apple is expanding the use of recycled materials in its products

April 19, 2022

UPDATE

Apple is expanding the use of recycled materials in its products

The company is also advancing new dismantling technology as part of the closed-loop goal

Apple today released new details about the increased use of recycled content in its products. For the first time, the company introduced certified recycled gold and more than doubled the use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements and cobalt. Nearly 20% of all materials used in Apple products in 2021 were recycled, the highest ever use of recycled content.

Apple released new details about these advancements, its recycling innovation efforts and clean energy in its 2022 Environmental Progress Report.

The company also shared new ways customers can celebrate Earth Day, including supporting the World Wildlife Fund using Apple Pay. With educational resources, curated content and engaging activities across all platforms, Apple customers can seize the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature wherever they are, learn about key issues like climate change and supporting causes and communities working to protect the planet.

“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we are making real progress in our work to address the climate crisis and one day make our products without taking anything from the earth,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “Our rapid pace of innovation is already helping our teams use the products of today to build those of tomorrow, and as our global supply chain transitions to clean energy, we are charting a path forward to other companies.”

More recycled and responsibly sourced materials in Apple products

Apple has pioneered innovations in recycling and materials sourcing to drive industry-wide change. To help its recycling partners continue this momentum around the world, Apple today announced its latest recycling innovation, Taz, a machine that uses a revolutionary approach to improve the recovery of materials from traditional recycling. electronic devices.

In 2021, 59% of all aluminum shipped by Apple in its products came from recycled sources, with many products containing 100% recycled aluminum in the enclosure. Apple has also made significant progress towards the company’s goal of eliminating plastics from its packaging by 2025, with plastics accounting for just 4% of packaging in 2021. Since 2015, Apple has reduced the plastic in its packaging.

Additionally, Apple products in 2021 included:

• 45% Certified Recycled Rare Earth Elementsa significant increase since Apple introduced recycled rare earth elements in its devices.

• 30% certified recycled tinwith all new iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Mac devices containing 100% recycled tin in the solder of their main logic boards.

• 13% certified recycled cobaltused in iPhone batteries that can be taken apart by Apple’s Daisy recycling robot and put back on the market.

• Certified recycled gold, featured – for the first time in an Apple product – in the main logic board and cable plating for the front camera and rear cameras of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. To achieve this milestone, Apple has pioneered industry-leading levels of traceability to build a gold supply chain of exclusively recycled content.

Recovering more materials for use in future products helps reduce mining. From a single metric ton of iPhone components dismantled by Apple’s recycling robots, recyclers can recover the amount of gold and copper that companies typically extract from 2,000 metric tons of mined rock. Apple is also committed to extending the life of its products through refurbishment. In 2021, Apple sent 12.2 million devices and accessories to new owners for reuse, extending their lifespan and reducing the need for future operation. Ultimately, Apple aims to use only renewable or recyclable materials in its products — a goal announced in 2017 that set the company’s course in material design and sourcing.

Taz, a machine that uses new grinder-like technology to separate magnets from audio modules and recover more rare-earth elements, is the latest in a series of recycling advancements led by Apple. The company also expanded the capabilities of its patented Daisy iPhone disassembly robot to disassemble 23 iPhone models, and offered to license those patents to other companies and researchers for free. An additional robot, Dave, dismantles the Taptic motors, helping to recover valuable rare-earth magnets, tungsten, and steel.

2022 Environmental Progress Report

In addition to charting progress in recycling innovation and responsible materials management, Apple’s new 2022 Environmental Progress Report highlights the company’s important work to become carbon neutral in its global supply chain and the life cycle of each product, as well as advances in reducing waste and promoting the safer use of materials in its products.

In a year when many other companies saw their footprint grow dramatically and company revenue grew 33%, Apple’s net emissions remained flat. Apple has been carbon neutral for its global operations since 2020 and has relied on 100% renewable energy to power its offices, stores and data centers since 2018.

Apple recently announced that its suppliers have more than doubled their use of clean energy over the past year, with more than 10 gigawatts operational out of nearly 16 gigawatts of total commitments in the coming years. As of this month, 213 of the company’s major manufacturing partners have pledged to power all of Apple’s production with renewable electricity in 25 countries. In 2021, these renewable projects avoided 13.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of taking 3 million cars off the road for one year.

For more information on Apple’s commitment to protecting the planet for future generations, see the 2022 Environmental Progress Report.

Explore, learn and take action for Earth Day

To celebrate Earth Day 2022, Apple is sharing new ways for customers around the world to explore the beauty of the natural world, learn about the pressing issues facing communities around the world due to climate change, and to act to protect the planet.

To explore: Ahead of Earth Day, Apple Maps makes it easier than ever to find beautiful green spaces, family nature fun, city walks and trails with 25 new guides from Lonely Planet, AllTrails and The Nature Conservancy in United States and Canada.

To celebrate Earth Day, Apple Fitness+ subscribers can enjoy nature-inspired yoga, meditation, cycling, rowing and treadmill workouts, plus a new Time to Run that takes listeners through the beautiful sights and sounds of Yosemite National Park with an uplifting pop and rock playlist; and coaching that inspires you to enjoy the great outdoors, no matter where you run. A new episode of Time to Walk is also available this week featuring world-renowned scientist and environmentalist Dr Jane Goodall on why she is willing to overcome her fears for the sake of her work and what she has observed on interdependence. of all living beings. And after completing a workout of 30 minutes or more on April 22, all Apple Watch users can win a limited-edition prize.

To learn: On Earth Day, April 22, Apple customers can learn about the exciting environmental innovations behind iPhone 13 — including recycling robot Daisy — with an immersive new augmented reality experience on Snapchat. And Apple Store locations around the world invite customers to learn more about the company’s environmental commitments with special window decals.

In honor of Earth Day, Apple News, Apple Books, Apple Podcasts and the Apple TV app will each feature global collections of content that provide in-depth opportunities to experience the natural world, learn about the climate crisis and the science behind it. , and meet communities struggling to find solutions. Highlights include a collection of books curated by visual artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers, and a collection of revealing films about humanity’s interdependent relationship with nature, curated by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal.

Take action: The App Store provides a one-stop destination for users to discover apps that will help them positively impact their communities and the planet, including being able to track carbon footprints or connect with grassroots environmental organizations with apps like Earth Hero and Milkywire.

Customers can also help protect the planet by using Apple Pay. Through April 22, Apple will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund for every purchase made with Apple Pay at apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at an Apple Store.¹

For more information about Apple’s environmental efforts, visit apple.com/environment.

1. Donations are limited to a maximum of $1 million; eligible countries are Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, UK and USA.

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Apple

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Sean Redding

Apple

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