Apple announces new eco-friendly production measures

As the world celebrates Earth Day 2022, Apple has announced new measures to make device manufacturing more eco-friendly than before.

Apple's latest iPhones, iPads, and Macs are produced using recycled materials rare earth materials, gold, tungsten and others for key components.

It is said that in 2021, around 59 per cent of all the aluminium Apple shipped in its products came from recycled sources and most of the products feature 100 percent recycled aluminium in the enclosure.

Apple said it is making efforts to recover most of the key materials from old products so that it can reduce mining for minerals.

"From just one metric ton of iPhone components taken apart by Apple’s recycling robots, recyclers can recover the amount of gold and copper companies would typically extract from 2,000 metric tons of mined rock," Apple noted.

Apple's sophisticated disassemble robot Daisy can open up to 1.2 million phones each year, helping Apple recover more valuable materials for recycling.

It has even offered to license the patents related to Daisy for researchers and other electronics manufacturers developing their own disassembly processes.

The company said it is committed to extending the lifetime of its products through refurbishment.

Last year, Apple was able to ship 12.2 million devices and accessories to new owners for reuse, extending their lifetime. Also, it should be noted that Apple's products-- iPhones, iPads, Watches, and Macs get the longest software support (minimum five to six years) compared to Android-based devices.

Apple has set an ambitious goal of becoming carbon-neutral in its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and products' life cycle by the end of this decade (2030).

“As people around the world join in celebrating Earth Day, we are making real progress in our work to address the climate crisis and to 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 today’s products to build tomorrow’s, and as our global supply chain transitions to clean power, we are charting a path for other companies to follow.”

Last week, Apple announced that more than 213 of its supplier partners have committed to using clean renewable energy.

Read more | 200 plus Apple suppliers commit to using clean renewable power

In a related development, Apple has also announced special features on services and devices to celebrate Earth Day. Now, Apple Maps will help users locate beautiful green spaces, family fun in nature, city walks, and trails with 25 new guides from Lonely Planet, AllTrails, and The Nature Conservancy in the US and Canada.

Also, App Store is showcasing dedicated environment-centric apps that will enable users to track carbon footprints or connect with environmental grassroots organisations with apps like Earth Hero and Milkywire.

On the App Store, studios including Gamtropy with “Arctictopia” and Broken Rules with “Gibbon: Beyond the Trees” are using the power of games to educate players on the impact of climate change. Credit: Apple

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