Currently, Apple forces the recyclers it works with to shred iPhones and computers, turning the materials into tiny shards of metal, plastic and glass instead of repairing or reusing the products.

Waste360 Staff, Staff

April 25, 2017

1 Min Read
Apple Announces Plan to Make iPhones, Computers Entirely from Recycled Materials

Apple has released its Environmental Responsibility Report, which outlines the company’s environmental and sustainability efforts. As part of the report, Apple has announced a plan to make iPhones and computers entirely from recycled materials.

Currently, Apple forces the recyclers it works with to shred iPhones and computers, turning the materials into tiny shards of metal, plastic and glass instead of repairing or reusing the products. The shredded pieces from the products are then sorted into commodities grade materials and sold and used for production stock in new products.

MOTHERBOARD has more details:

Apple released its Environmental Responsibility Report Wednesday, an annual grandstanding effort that the company uses to position itself as a progressive, environmentally friendly company. Behind the scenes, though, the company undermines attempts to prolong the lifespan of its products.

Apple's new moonshot plan is to make iPhones and computers entirely out of recycled materials by putting pressure on the recycling industry to innovate. But documents obtained by Motherboard using Freedom of Information requests show that Apple's current practices prevent recyclers from doing the most environmentally friendly thing they could do: Salvage phones and computers from the scrap heap.

Read the full story here.

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