April 19, 2022
UPDATE
Apple expands the use of recycled materials on its products
The company also innovates new disassembly technology as part of its closed-loop goal
Apple today announced new details about increasing the use of recycled content on its products. For the first time, the company introduced certified recycled gold and more than doubled its use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements and cobalt. Nearly 20% of all materials used in Apple products in 2021 will be recycled, the highest use ever in terms of recycled content.
Apple released new details on this progress, its recycling and clean energy innovation efforts 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 platforms, Apple customers can take the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature wherever they are, learn about on key issues like climate change as well as supporting causes and communities that are working to protect the planet.
“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we are making real progress in our work to tackle the climate crisis and will one day make our products. me without taking anything from the earth,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of the environment. Policy and Social Initiatives. “Our rapid pace of innovation has enabled our teams to use the products of today to build the future, and as our global supply chain transitions to clean energy, we is charting a path for other companies to follow.”
More responsibly sourced and recycled materials on Apple products
Apple has pioneered innovations in recycling and material sourcing to drive change across the industry. To help its recycling partners build on this momentum around the world, Apple today announced its latest recycling innovation, the Taz, a machine that uses a ground-breaking approach to improve recycling. material recovery from traditional electronics recycling.
In 2021, 59% of the total aluminum Apple ships in its products comes from recycled sources, with many products having 100% recycled aluminum in their housings. Apple has also made significant progress toward its goal of eliminating plastic from its packaging by 2025, with plastic making up just 4% of packaging by 2021. Since 2015, Apple has reduced by 75 % plastic in its packaging.
Additionally, Apple products in 2021 include:
- 45% recycled rare earth elements certifieda significant increase since Apple introduced recycled rare earth elements in its devices.
- 30% recycled tin certifiedwith all new iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Mac devices having 100% recycled tin in the solder of their main logic board.
- 13% certified recycled cobaltused in iPhone batteries can be taken apart by Apple’s Daisy recycling robot and put back on the market.
- Certified Recycled Gold, which featured – a first in any Apple product – in plating the main logic board and wires on the front and rear cameras of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. To achieve this milestone, Apple pioneered the construction of a gold supply chain with exclusive recycled content.
Recovering more materials to use in future products helps reduce mining. From just one ton of iPhone components separated by Apple’s recycling robot, recyclers can recover the amount of gold and copper that companies normally mine from 2,000 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 to reuse, extending their lifespan and reducing the need for future mining. Ultimately, Apple aims to use only renewable or recyclable materials in its products — a goal announced in 2017 that has shaped the company’s roadmap for design and sourcing. material supply.
Taz, a machine that uses new shredder-like technology to separate magnets from sound modules and recover rarer earth elements, is the latest in a series of recycling innovations. led by Apple. The company has also further extended the ability of its patented iPhone disassemble robot Daisy to disassemble 23 iPhone models, and has offered to license those patents free of charge to other companies and researchers. . An additional robot, Dave, disassembles the Taptic Engines, helping to recover valuable rare earth, tungsten and steel magnets.
Environmental Progress Report 2022
In addition to charting progress in recycling innovation and materials management, Apple’s newly released 2022 Environmental Progress Report highlights the company’s important work to become carbon-neutral in the supply chain. global response and lifecycle of every product, as well as progress in reducing waste and promoting the use of safer materials in its products.
In a year when many other companies saw massive increases in their footprints and corporate revenues 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 offices, stores, and data centers since 2018.
Apple recently announced that its suppliers are already using more than twice as many clean electricity as they did last year, with more than 10 gigawatts operating out of a total of nearly 16 gigawatts of total commitments over the coming years. As of this month, the company’s 213 major manufacturing partners have committed to powering all of Apple’s manufacturing operations with renewable electricity across 25 countries. By 2021, these renewable projects have avoided 13.9 million tons of carbon emissions, the equivalent of removing 3 million cars from the road in a year.
For more information on Apple’s commitment to protecting the planet for future generations, explore the 2022 Environmental Progress Report.
Explore, Learn and Take Action for Earth Day
In celebration of Earth Day 2022, Apple is sharing new ways for customers around the world to discover the beauty of the natural world, learn about pressing issues facing communities around the world. face from climate change and take action to protect the planet.
Discover: Ahead of Earth Day, Apple Maps is making it easier than ever to find beautiful green spaces, family fun in nature, city walks, and trails easier than ever with 25 guides new from Lonely Planet, AllTrails and The Nature Conservancy in the US and Canada.
To celebrate Earth Day, Apple Fitness+ subscribers can enjoy nature-inspired yoga, meditation, cycling, rowing, and running workouts, as well as a new Time to Run episode that takes listeners to with the sights and sounds of Yosemite National Park in high spirits pop and rock playlists; and training that inspires you to take part in the great outdoors, no matter where you’re running. A new episode of Time to Walk also premieres this week starring world-renowned scientist and environmentalist, Dr Jane Goodall, who shares why she’s willing to overcome her fears fear for the sake of the job and what she had observed about interconnectedness. of all living things. And after completing any workout lasting 30 minutes or more on April 22, all Apple Watch users can win a limited edition prize.
Learn: On Earth Day, April 22, Apple customers can learn about the exciting environmental innovations behind the iPhone 13 – including the recycling robot Daisy – with a new augmented reality experience on Snapchat. And Apple Stores worldwide are inviting 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 feature curated collections of global content that provide an in-depth opportunity to experience the natural world, find understand the climate crisis and the science behind it and meet the communities that are fighting for solutions. Highlights include a book collection by visual artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers and an eye-opening collection of films about humanity’s interdependent relationship with nature, by famous documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal.
Take action: The App Store provides a single destination for users to discover apps that will help them positively impact their communities and planet – including by being able to track their carbon footprint or connect with organize the facility’s environment using apps like Earth Hero and Milkywire.
Customers can also help save the planet by using Apple Pay. Between now and April 22, Apple will donate $1 to the World Wildlife Fund for every purchase made with Apple Pay on apple.com, in the Apple Store app, or at the Apple Store.first
For more information about Apple’s environmental efforts, visit apple.com/enosystem.
- Donations are limited to a maximum of $1 million; Eligible countries and regions include 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, United Kingdom and United States.
Tap Contacts
Apple Media Helpline
media.help@apple.com
(408) 974-2042
