Apple iPhones are made with a focus on sustainability and environmental responsibility. The following information is based on the product environmental reports provided by Apple for iPhone 13, iPhone 14 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and iPhone 11, as well as the Material Impact Profiles provided by Apple.
Materials:
- iPhones are made with materials that are free of harmful substances like beryllium, brominated flame retardants, PVC, phthalates, arsenic in the display glass, and mercury.
- Apple uses 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, representing an unprecedented 98% of the total rare earth elements in the device.
- Apple is transitioning to plastics from renewable or recycled sources as alternatives to fossil fuel-based plastics. For iPhone 13, Apple uses 35% or more recycled plastic in 12 components.
- iPhone 14 Pro Max is the first-ever smartphone made with 100% recycled rare earth elements in the Taptic Engine.
- iPhone SE is made with 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine, representing 100% of the tungsten in the device.
Positive:
- Apple is pioneering industry-leading levels of traceability in recycled materials to build a gold supply chain of exclusively recycled content. For the first time, Apple is using 100% certified recycled gold in an Apple product.
- Apple is working to reduce the material used in their products and aims to one day source only recycled or renewable materials in their products.
- By removing select inbox accessories across all iPhone 12 and iPhone 12 Pro models, Apple anticipates avoiding the equivalent of mining more than 600,000 metric tons of copper, zinc, and tin ore.
Negative:
- There is no negative information available regarding the materials used in Apple iPhones.
In summary, Apple iPhones are made with materials that are free of harmful substances and are increasingly being made with recycled or renewable materials. Apple is also working to reduce the material used in their products and aims to one day source only recycled or renewable materials in their products.
