In July 2020, Apple announced that by 2030 they will be completely carbon neutral, from the production of iPhones to what happens to them after we stop using them. That's a serious goal for a company that makes millions of phones every year. Five years later, what have they done? Do they really recycle everything on the iPhone? And what do they have left to get to zero? Let's see how things stand and if this plan is not just good talk.
What is Apple doing for the environment?
Apple did not start from yesterday. As early as 2020, their offices and stores became carbon neutral. Now the challenge is to do the same with the iPhone – from the factories, to the supply, to the recycling. Here's what they've achieved so far:
Recycle on iPhone: New models like the iPhone 15 and 16 (2023-2024) have a lot of recycled materials. The battery is 100% recycled cobalt and 95% recycled lithium. The gold in the boards and the USB-C connector? Also 100% recycled. The magnets in the speakers – again recycled. In 2024, 24% of the materials in their products are recycled or from sustainable sources;
Recycling robots: Apple has robots with interesting names - Daisy, Dave and Taz. Daisy disassembles 36 iPhone models, separating steel, tungsten and rare earth elements. Dave and Taz take care of magnets and motors. In 2024, approximately 15.9 million devices will have passed through them for recycling;
Clean energy: Over 300 Apple suppliers are now betting on solar and wind energy. In 2024, this saved 22 million tonnes of carbon emissions. iPhone manufacturing is getting greener;
Packaging without plastic: Since iPhone 15, packaging is 99% paper and cardboard - no nylon. Apple wants to remove plastic completely by the end of 2025;
Greener transport: For products like the Apple Watch, they're betting on ships, not planes. This reduces emissions by up to 80%.
What else isn't recycled in the iPhone?
Despite progress, some iPhone parts are still not recycled. This is a problem if they want zero emissions. Here's what's left:
The display glass: The Ceramic Shield in the iPhone is super strong, but it's not 100% recycled. There is some recycled glass, but for Apple-like quality, new raw materials are often used;
Plastic parts: There are still plastic connectors and insulations inside the phone that are not recycled. Apple is working on bio-based alternatives, but they're not ready yet;
Silicon for chips: Chips like the A17 Pro require pure silicon that is not recycled. Making it is energy-intensive and leaves a carbon footprint;
Other metals: Gold and cobalt are recycled, but copper and zinc in small parts still come from mines;
Adhesives and coatings: The adhesives that hold the phone together and some coatings, are not recycled because they need specific properties.
How far have they progressed, and what remains?
Apple has gone to great lengths. In 2015, they recycled almost nothing, and now 24% of iPhone materials are recycled. The big stuff like aluminum (56% recycled), cobalt and lithium are almost entirely recycled. These are the main materials by weight - about 87% of the phone. But glass, silicon and plastics are a problem. They are a smaller share, but their production burns a lot of energy. According to Apple, about 70% of the iPhone's carbon footprint comes from manufacturing, especially chips and displays.
To recycle everything, new technologies are needed. For example, display glass requires super cleanliness, which is difficult with recycled materials. Silicon requires so much energy that Apple will have to come up with something ingenious. So they're working with universities like Carnegie Mellon on a recycling lab in Texas. Their goal is for key metals to be 100% recycled by 2025. It seems achievable, but for the rest it will be more difficult.
Interesting facts about Apple's efforts
Emission-free aluminum: Apple figured out how to melt aluminum without carbon emissions. First they tried it on the MacBook Pro (2019), and now they put it on the iPhone as well.
They save water: Their suppliers recycle 42% of production water. That's billions of liters of fresh water saved every year!
Their robots are for everyone: Apple is offering its Daisy and Taz robot technology for free to other companies so the world can recycle more.
The skin is gone: From 2023, they ditched leather iPhone cases and replaced them with FineWoven, a fabric with 68% recycled content.
Carbon credits?: Apple Watch is declared carbon neutral, but they use carbon credits. Some say this is not the same as true emissions reductions.
Will they make it by 2030?
Apple is on the right track. Since 2015, they have reduced their emissions by over 50% for some products and raised their recycled content from almost nothing to 24%. Their recycling robots and clean energy investments show they're not kidding. But there are also difficulties:
Glass and silicon require new recycling technologies;
Many suppliers in Asia are not yet 100% green energy;
The carbon credits they use have some wondering how real the progress is.
If they continue at this pace, 2030 is an achievable goal. Recycled materials already cover much of the iPhone, but the last 30% of emissions – glass, chips and plastics – will be the hardest. Apple has the money and the ideas, but they'll have to accelerate to break even.
iPhone 13 Pro
iPhone 13 Mini
