More sustainability, less waste: 20% of materials used by Apple are recycled

On the brink of International Earth Day (April 22), Apple has shared some exciting news on the company’s stronger push for greater sustainability. In 2021, nearly a fifth of all materials used for the manufacturing of Apple products were recycled, the highest rate achieved to date. This marks an important milestone in Apple’s ever expanding environmental agenda, with promises of more to come.

This year was the first time Apple has managed to utilize certified recycled gold and to double the use of recycled cobalt and tungsten for the manufacturing of their devices. One of the biggest innovations that Apple has implemented is Taz, a machine with an increased rate of material recovery when recycling electronics.

What this amounts to is an impressive figure of 45% share of recycled rare earth elements. This, coupled with the ambitious refurbishment program that Apple is pushing and the longer lifespans of their devices, will help reduce mining, according to the company.

Sustainability has become a key priority of the American tech giant, with the latest report (PDF) on progress on the matter showcasing clear progress towards the promise of carbon neutrality by 2030. The end goal is simple. As Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives puts it, the ambition is for Apple to “one day make products without taking anything from the earth.”

On a more symbolic note, Apple is trying to raise environmental awareness in the week leading up to April 22 through a coordinated campaign across a number of platforms - Apple Fitness+, Apple News, Apple Books, Apple Podcasts, Apple Pay (you can read more on that in particular here) and the App Store.

On Earth Day itself, Apple will host an event on the environmental innovations behind the iPhone 13, whose new color suits the occasion perfectly. All in all, it is nice to see a greener (pun intended) Apple that does more to protect the environment than remove chargers from the box.