April 19, 2022
renew
Apple expands use of recycled materials in its products
Company also advances new disassembly technology as part of closed-loop goal
Apple today released new details about increasing the use of recycled content in its products. The company introduced certified recycled gold for the first time and more than doubled its use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements and cobalt. By 2021, nearly 20 percent of all materials used in Apple products will be recycled, the highest rate of recycled materials.
Apple released new details about this progress, its recycling innovation efforts, and clean energy in its 2022 Environmental Progress Report.
The company also shared new ways for customers to celebrate Earth Day, including using Apple Pay to support the World Wildlife Fund. With cross-platform educational resources, curated content, and engaging events, Apple customers can seize the opportunity to appreciate the beauty of nature anytime, anywhere, learn about critical issues like climate change, and support causes and communities working to protect the planet.
“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we’re making real progress in our work to tackle the climate crisis and one day make our products without taking anything from the planet,” said Lisa, Apple’s VP of Environment Jackson said policy and social initiatives. “Our rapid pace of innovation is already helping our teams use today’s products to build tomorrow’s products, and we’re blazing a trail for other companies as our global supply chain transitions to clean energy.”
Use more recycled and responsibly sourced materials in Apple products
Apple pioneers innovation in material recycling and 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 takes a ground-breaking approach to improving material recovery from traditional electronics recycling.
In 2021, Apple will source 59% of all aluminum shipped in its products from recycled sources, with many of these products featuring 100% recycled aluminum casings. Apple has also made significant progress toward its goal of eliminating plastic from packaging by 2025, with plastic making up just 4 percent of packaging by 2021. Since 2015, Apple has reduced plastic in its packaging by 75%.
Additionally, 2021 Apple products include:
- 45% Certified Recyclable Rare Earth Elementsa significant increase since Apple introduced recycled rare earth elements in its devices.
- 30% certified recycled tinall new iPhone, iPad, AirPods and Mac devices use 100% recycled tin for the main logic board solder.
- 13% certified recycled cobaltfor iPhone batteries that can be disassembled and returned to market by Apple’s recycling robot, Daisy.
- Certified Recycled Gold, first seen in any Apple product – in the plating of the main logic board and wires for the front and rear cameras of the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro. To achieve this milestone, Apple pioneered an industry-leading level of traceability to establish a gold supply chain for fully recycled content.
Recycling more material for future products helps reduce mining. From just one metric ton of iPhone components dismantled by Apple’s recycling robots, recyclers can recover the amount of gold and copper the company typically extracts 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 users for reuse, extending their useful life and reducing the need for future mining. Ultimately, Apple’s goal is to use only renewable or recycled materials in its products — a goal announced in 2017 that charts the path for the company in terms of design and material sourcing.
The Taz, a machine that uses new shredder-like technology to separate magnets from audio modules and recover more rare earth elements, is the latest in a series of recycling technologies pioneered by Apple. The company has also further expanded the capabilities of its patented iPhone dismantling robot, Daisy, to disassemble 23 iPhones, and has offered to license the patents to other companies and researchers for free. Another robot, Dave, disassembles Taptic Engines to help recover valuable rare earth magnets, tungsten and steel.
2022 Environmental Progress Report
In addition to charting progress in recycling innovation and materials stewardship, Apple’s new 2022 Environmental Progress Report highlights the company’s important work to achieve carbon neutrality in its global supply chain and the life cycle of every product, as well as efforts to reduce waste and promote safer use of materials in its products.
Apple’s net emissions remained the same in a year when many other companies’ footprints increased significantly and the company’s revenue grew 33%. Apple has been carbon neutral in its global operations since 2020, and has been relying on 100% renewable energy to power its offices, stores and data centers since 2018.
Apple recently announced that its suppliers’ clean energy use has more than doubled from last year, with a total commitment of nearly 16 gigawatts over the next few years, of which more than 10 gigawatts are in operation. As of this month, the company’s 213 key manufacturing partners have committed to powering all of Apple’s production with renewable electricity in 25 countries. In 2021, these renewable energy projects will reduce carbon emissions by 13.9 million tons, the equivalent of removing 3 million cars in a year.
For more information on Apple’s commitment to protecting the planet for future generations, visit 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, understand the pressing issues facing communities around the world due to climate change, and take action to protect the planet.
explore: Ahead of Earth Day, Apple Maps features 25 new guides from Lonely Planet, AllTrails, and The Nature Conservancy in the U.S. and Canada, making it easier than ever to find beautiful green spaces, family fun in nature, Urban trails and trails.
To celebrate Earth Day, Apple Fitness+ subscribers can enjoy nature-inspired yoga, meditation, biking, rowing and treadmill workouts, as well as a new “Run Time” episode that lets listeners take in the beautiful views of Yosemite National Park and sounds, uplifting pop and rock playlists; instructions that inspire you to take part in the great outdoors no matter where you run. This week, world-renowned scientist and conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall also presents a new episode of Time to Walk, where she shares why she’s willing to overcome her fears in order to work, and her observations on interconnectedness in all living things. All Apple Watch owners will receive a limited-edition reward after completing any workout of 30 minutes or more on April 22.
study: On Earth Day, April 22, Apple customers can learn about the exciting environmental innovations behind iPhone 13 — including the Daisy recycling robot — through a new immersive augmented reality experience on Snapchat. Apple Stores around the world are inviting customers to learn more about the company’s environmental commitment through special window decals.
In honor of Earth Day, the Apple News, Apple Books, Apple Podcasts and Apple TV apps will each offer curated collections of global content, providing an in-depth experience of the natural world, learning about the climate crisis and the science behind it, and meeting people working for solutions. war community. Highlights include a book collection curated by visual artist and children’s author Oliver Jeffers, and an eye-opening film collection about the interdependence of humans and nature curated by acclaimed documentary filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal.
Take action: The App Store gives users a single destination to discover apps that help them make a positive impact on their communities and the planet—including the ability to track their carbon footprint or connect with environmental grassroots organizations through apps like Earth Hero and Milkywire.
Customers can also help protect 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, the Apple Store app, or in the Apple Store.
For more information about Apple’s environmental efforts, visit apple.com/environment.
- Donations are capped at $1 million; eligible countries and territories 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.
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