Apple is Going Green: Firm Vows to Stop Mining Rare Minerals and Use 100% Recycled Materials
Apple aims to stop mining raw materials and use those that are 100% recycled
Use parts from discarded devices and with 'high quality recycled metals'
Apple reduced carbon footprint from 38.4M metric tons in 2015 to 29.5M in 2016
Research has shown that it takes nearly 165 pounds of raw material to make the average smartphone – and these resources are on the verge of disappearing.
In order to combat these numbers and save the planet, Apple has vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other products.
The announcement comes with the tech giant's latest progress report, which has also highlighted some of its environmental successes such as a 23 percent decrease in carbon emissions from 2015 to 2016.
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Apple has vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other products. The announcement comes with the tech giant's latest progress report, which has also highlighted some of its environmental successes
APPLE'S ECO-PLAN
Apple has released its 2017 progress report, which outlines the firm's goals and successes in becoming a greener electronics maker.
The firm vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other electronics.
It also plans to gather parts from devices returned by customers and combine them with 'high quality recycled metals'.
The firm noted that 96 percent of the electricity used for its global facilities was from renewable energy, which has reduced carbon emissions by nearly 585,000 metric tons.
Apple also reduced its carbon footprint from 38.4 million metric tons in 2015 to 29.5 million in 2016.
A majority of mobile devices are manufactured with a slew of raw materials including tantalum, zinc, copper, tungsten and cobalt.
And although these minerals are conflict-free, electronics makers rely on cheap labor to mine these sometimes hard to reach materials – and many of the workers are children.
This has been found to be a major issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Coblat, which is used in the rechargeable batteries, is mined.
In the past, Apple with Samsung and Sony have all been accused of failing to ensure the materials used in their products do not come from mines that exploit child labor.
Amensty International released a report last year that revealed children as young as 7 years old were working in the mines.
However, Apple's latest report may have suggested that the tech giant is turning over a new leaf and is looking to be more environmentally friendly – even if they have yet to determine how.
'We're actually doing something we rarely do, which is announce a goal before we've completely figured out how to do it,' Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives and a former head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, told VICE News.
'So we're a little nervous, but we also think it's really important, because as a sector we believe it's where technology should be going.'
Jackson also noted that Apple has plans to gather parts from devices returned by customers and combine them with 'high quality recycled metals'.
WHAT'S INSIDE YOUR SMARTPHONE?
The hazardous ingredients of mobile phones have long been kept under wraps by manufacturers who are tight lipped about the recipes they use for their high-tech components.
The electronics industry relies on an array of metals that make it possible to bring miniaturization, speed and increased capabilities to our mobile phones like Copper, Zinc, Iron, Nickel, Aluminum, Lead, Tin, Silver, Chromium, Gold, Palladium.
Cobalt is another material, which is used in rechargeable batteries found in many laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles.
HeathyStuff.org sampled 36 different mobile phones to see what lurks behind the sleek smartphone covers.
The phones were completely disassembled and interior and exterior components
Use parts from discarded devices and with 'high quality recycled metals'
Apple reduced carbon footprint from 38.4M metric tons in 2015 to 29.5M in 2016
Research has shown that it takes nearly 165 pounds of raw material to make the average smartphone – and these resources are on the verge of disappearing.
In order to combat these numbers and save the planet, Apple has vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other products.
The announcement comes with the tech giant's latest progress report, which has also highlighted some of its environmental successes such as a 23 percent decrease in carbon emissions from 2015 to 2016.
Scroll down for videos
Apple has vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other products. The announcement comes with the tech giant's latest progress report, which has also highlighted some of its environmental successes
APPLE'S ECO-PLAN
Apple has released its 2017 progress report, which outlines the firm's goals and successes in becoming a greener electronics maker.
The firm vowed to end the destructive mining and use 100 percent recycled materials in its iPhones, MacBooks and all of its other electronics.
It also plans to gather parts from devices returned by customers and combine them with 'high quality recycled metals'.
The firm noted that 96 percent of the electricity used for its global facilities was from renewable energy, which has reduced carbon emissions by nearly 585,000 metric tons.
Apple also reduced its carbon footprint from 38.4 million metric tons in 2015 to 29.5 million in 2016.
A majority of mobile devices are manufactured with a slew of raw materials including tantalum, zinc, copper, tungsten and cobalt.
And although these minerals are conflict-free, electronics makers rely on cheap labor to mine these sometimes hard to reach materials – and many of the workers are children.
This has been found to be a major issue in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Coblat, which is used in the rechargeable batteries, is mined.
In the past, Apple with Samsung and Sony have all been accused of failing to ensure the materials used in their products do not come from mines that exploit child labor.
Amensty International released a report last year that revealed children as young as 7 years old were working in the mines.
However, Apple's latest report may have suggested that the tech giant is turning over a new leaf and is looking to be more environmentally friendly – even if they have yet to determine how.
'We're actually doing something we rarely do, which is announce a goal before we've completely figured out how to do it,' Apple's Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives and a former head of the EPA, Lisa Jackson, told VICE News.
'So we're a little nervous, but we also think it's really important, because as a sector we believe it's where technology should be going.'
Jackson also noted that Apple has plans to gather parts from devices returned by customers and combine them with 'high quality recycled metals'.
WHAT'S INSIDE YOUR SMARTPHONE?
The hazardous ingredients of mobile phones have long been kept under wraps by manufacturers who are tight lipped about the recipes they use for their high-tech components.
The electronics industry relies on an array of metals that make it possible to bring miniaturization, speed and increased capabilities to our mobile phones like Copper, Zinc, Iron, Nickel, Aluminum, Lead, Tin, Silver, Chromium, Gold, Palladium.
Cobalt is another material, which is used in rechargeable batteries found in many laptops, mobile phones and electric vehicles.
HeathyStuff.org sampled 36 different mobile phones to see what lurks behind the sleek smartphone covers.
The phones were completely disassembled and interior and exterior components
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