April 13, 2023
PRESS RELEASE
Apple will use 100% recycled cobalt in batteries by 2025
Trade-leading innovation paves new path for key recycled metals in batteries, magnets, and circuit boards
Cupertino, California Apple as we speak introduced a significant acceleration of its work to broaden recycled supplies throughout its merchandise, together with a brand new 2025 goal to make use of 100% recycled cobalt1 in all Apple-designed batteries. Moreover, by 2025, magnets in Apple gadgets will use solely recycled uncommon earth components, and all Apple-designed printed circuit boards will use 100% recycled tin soldering and 100% recycled gold plating.
In 2022, the corporate considerably expanded its use of key recycled metals, and now sources over two-thirds of all aluminum, practically three-quarters of all uncommon earths, and greater than 95 p.c of all tungsten in Apple merchandise from 100% recycled materials. This speedy progress brings Apple nearer to its intention to at some point make all merchandise with solely recycled and renewable supplies, and advances the corporate’s 2030 aim to make each product carbon impartial.
“Day-after-day, Apple is innovating to make expertise that enriches individuals’s lives, whereas defending the planet all of us share,” stated Tim Prepare dinner, Apple’s CEO. “From the recycled supplies in our merchandise, to the clear power that powers our operations, our environmental work is integral to every part we make and to who we’re. So we’ll preserve urgent ahead within the perception that nice expertise must be nice for our customers, and for the setting.”
“Our ambition to at some point use 100% recycled and renewable supplies in our merchandise works hand in hand with Apple 2030: our aim to attain carbon impartial merchandise by 2030,” stated Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vp of Setting, Coverage, and Social Initiatives. “We’re working towards each objectives with urgency and advancing innovation throughout our whole trade within the course of.”
Charting Progress to 2025
Apple has considerably expanded the usage of 100% licensed recycled cobalt over the previous three years, making it doable to incorporate in all Apple-designed batteries by 2025. In 2022, 1 / 4 of all cobalt present in Apple merchandise got here from recycled materials, up from 13 p.c the earlier yr. Cobalt is a essential materials within the batteries utilized in most client electronics, together with Apple gadgets, enabling excessive power density whereas additionally assembly Apple’s strong requirements for longevity and security. Apple-designed batteries present in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and lots of different merchandise symbolize a big majority of the corporate’s use of cobalt.
The corporate’s use of 100% licensed recycled uncommon earth components has tremendously expanded within the final yr as nicely, going from 45 p.c in 2021 to 73 p.c in 2022. Since first introducing recycled uncommon earths within the Taptic Engine of iPhone 11, Apple has expanded its use of the fabric throughout its gadgets, together with in all magnets discovered within the newest iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and Mac fashions. As magnets are by far Apple’s largest use of uncommon earths, the brand new 2025 goal means practically all uncommon earths in Apple merchandise will quickly be 100% recycled.
As a part of the accelerated new timeline, all Apple-designed printed circuit boards will use 100% licensed recycled gold plating by 2025. This contains inflexible boards, resembling the primary logic board, and versatile boards, like these connecting to the cameras or buttons in iPhone. Since pioneering an completely recycled provide chain for gold within the plating of the primary logic board for iPhone 13, Apple has prolonged the fabric’s use in extra elements and merchandise, together with the wire of all cameras within the iPhone 14 lineup, and printed circuit boards of iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods Professional, MacBook Professional, Mac mini, and HomePod. Apple can be working to encourage broader adoption of recycled gold for non-custom elements throughout the electronics trade.
By 2025, the corporate will use 100% licensed recycled tin soldering on all Apple-designed printed inflexible and versatile circuit boards. Lately, Apple’s use of recycled tin has expanded to the solder of many versatile printed circuit boards throughout Apple merchandise, with 38 p.c of all tin used final yr coming from recycled sources. The appliance of recycled tin throughout much more elements is underway, and the corporate is partaking extra suppliers on this effort.
Innovation has additionally pushed progress towards one other of Apple’s 2025 commitments: to remove plastics from the corporate’s packaging. The event of fiber alternate options for packaging elements like display movies, wraps, and foam cushioning has saved Apple on observe towards this formidable aim. To deal with the remaining 4 p.c plastic within the firm’s packaging footprint, Apple is innovating to switch labels, lamination, and different small makes use of. Within the final yr, Apple developed a {custom} printer to introduce digital printing straight onto the packing containers of iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Professional, eliminating the necessity for many labels. And a brand new overprint varnish present in iPad Air, iPad Professional, and Apple Watch Collection 8 packaging replaces the polypropylene plastic lamination discovered on packing containers and packaging elements. The innovation helped keep away from over 1,100 metric tons of plastic and over 2,400 metric tons of carbon dioxide.
Progress in Accountable Sourcing of Major and Recycled Supplies
As Apple reduces its reliance on newly mined minerals, additionally it is pursuing methods to straight help communities whose livelihoods depend upon mining. The corporate is partnering with specialists such because the Fund for International Human Rights to offer help for frontline human rights and environmental defenders, together with within the African Nice Lakes area, in addition to vocational teaching programs that allow members of native communities shifting away from mining to construct expertise and pursue new alternatives.
Apple sources major minerals responsibly and drives the best stage of human rights and environmental requirements throughout its provide chain. Apple was the primary electronics firm to publish a listing of cobalt and lithium refiners in its battery provide chain, with cobalt in 2016 and lithium in 2020. In 2017, the corporate mapped its provide chain for uncommon earths. And since 2015, each recognized smelter and refiner for tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold has participated in impartial third-party audits.
Within the transition to recycled and renewable content material, Apple has prioritized 14 supplies based mostly on setting, human rights, and provide impression that collectively account for practically 90 p.c of the fabric shipped in Apple merchandise: aluminum, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, lithium, paper, plastics, uncommon earth components, metal, tantalum, tin, tungsten, and zinc.
In 2022, about 20 p.c of all materials shipped in Apple merchandise got here from recycled or renewable sources. This contains the primary use of recycled copper foil in the primary logic board of iPad (tenth era), the introduction of licensed recycled metal within the battery tray of MacBook Air with the M2 chip, 100% recycled tungsten within the newest Apple Watch lineup, and the aluminum enclosures discovered in lots of Apple merchandise, made with a 100% recycled aluminum alloy designed by Apple.
Innovating for the Way forward for Recycling
Apple’s work to pioneer new analysis and growth for end-of-life disassembly and recycling has helped make this progress doable. By intensive efforts together with partnerships with main analysis establishments and the Materials Restoration Lab in Austin, Texas, Apple engineers and specialists are creating progressive methods to provide supplies in Apple merchandise new life, and serving to inform design selections that help disassembly and restoration.
The corporate’s iPhone disassembly robotic, Daisy, separates batteries from different elements, and allows specialty recyclers to recuperate cobalt and different supplies, together with lithium. Since 2019, Apple estimates that greater than 11,000 kilograms of cobalt have been recovered from batteries extracted by Daisy after which returned to the secondary market. Daisy additionally helps recuperate uncommon earth components, that are largely misplaced via conventional electronics recycling processes.
Daisy is only one instance of how Apple’s improvements in recycling and disassembly can drive industrywide change. The corporate’s Dave robotic, now deployed with a recycling associate in China, might help additional speed up restoration of uncommon earth components by disassembling Taptic Engines.
Apple has additionally begun deploying overhead projector-based augmented actuality (AR) techniques to recycling companions. The system guides the disassembly of gadgets together with MacBook and iPad by projecting video imagery straight onto a piece floor. The corporate publishes Apple Recycler Guides for international recyclers to maximise effectivity of fabric restoration whereas safeguarding human well being and security. As recycled and renewable supplies can contribute to decreasing every product’s carbon footprint, enhanced restoration can be bringing Apple nearer to its formidable aim to be carbon impartial throughout its whole provide chain and the life cycle of each product by 2030.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized private expertise with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. At the moment, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s 5 software program platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — present seamless experiences throughout all Apple gadgets and empower individuals with breakthrough providers together with the App Retailer, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s greater than 100,000 workers are devoted to creating one of the best merchandise on earth, and to leaving the world higher than we discovered it.
- All cobalt content material references are on a mass steadiness system foundation.
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