Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

niek_pas

Does anyone know of a trustworthy third party that scrutinizes Apple's claims? I'm accusing Apple of lying, but I'd like to get more context than "100 percent recycled cobalt". That sounds great, but what about all the other metals? What does 'recycled' mean here, exactly? And so on.

neya

Can we stop posting Apple's PR pieces here? Everyone knows they score the lowest on repairability so this really means shit.

zelphirkalt

I don't have the numbers of other manufacturers, but 30% doesn't sound like outrageously much to me. That still is an overwhelming majority of non-recycled materials. An improvement is good, but 30% is nothing worth writing home about.

tasoeur

I really appreciate their effort to go towards more recycling, but to me a lot of this is completely moot as long as they don’t provide a stronger incentive to surrender your old devices for recycling. It’s actually really simple to reach $0 trade-in value due to absolutely silly things like a scratched display. Why would I be giving you back my iPhone for free when even glass bottles are $0.5 when recommissioned…

vrganj

This sounds like classic greenwashing PR.

alexandrehtrb

How about stop making planned obsolence products? How about not charging outrageous prices when their computers need repair?

dangus

Framework is the industry benchmark. To me, anyone doing anything less than full modularity doesn’t actually care about e-waste. Framework has proven that it is possible to make a great machine that is modular as well as forward and backward compatible, and they’ve done it with a comparatively tiny group of employees. Same deal with Fairphone. Apple can brag about sustainability the day they ship a phone, wireless earbuds, or smartwatch with a battery that the user can replace with a basic screwdriver or less. If tiny companies like Fairphone and Framework can manage to put out products like this, imagine what a company with the kind of resources Apple has could do with the same concept.

mrcwinn

Ah, good morning HN. Eager to read all the negativity about something that's on its face positive. XD Good job Apple. Now more to do.

zero_k

If they want "eco progress" they should make their devices repairable. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. *In that priority* Reduce & Reuse by making it repairable! See: https://www.epa.gov/recycle

GuB-42

Recycling is mostly greenwashing. I mean, it is good, but the order is Reduce, Reuse, Repair, Recycle. Recycling is the last option, when everything else has failed and the thing is heading for the landfill (or worse). Every device they take for "recycling" is a failure of the first 3 "R"s, especially if it is still working or it is just a dead battery, but is good for their business, so no wonder they insist on recycling. I really like their work on packaging though. Not just because it reduces the plastic waste produced by Apple, it is not much in the grand scheme of things, but it also sets an example. Apple has always been a trendsetter when it comes to design, and their packaging is given a lot of attention.

orwin

I know this is mostly marketing, but I appreciate the discourse and effort they seems to put into this. Companies are a poor choice for governance/directions to avoid a tragedy of the common anyway, the answers should come from a governmental body, so any unforced effort put on recycling by companies are good.