Environmentally-friendly Mac products.
Environmental protection is a priority for the conservation of precious natural resources and the continued health of our planet. Apple recognizes its responsibility as a global citizen and is continually striving to reduce the environmental impact of the work we do and the products we create.
Apple’s Carbon Footprint
Environmental considerations are an integral part of Apple’s business practices. Over 95 percent of Apple’s carbon footprint comes from the products we make. That’s why from the earliest stages of product design through manufacturing to customer use and recycling, we take care to keep our activities and our products environmentally sound. Product Environmental Reports have been created to document the progress we’ve made to minimize the carbon emissions of each product.
Four areas of particular attention are product and packaging design, materials, energy efficiency, and recycling. Each aspect of the design cycle provides significant challenges, yet our efforts in these areas have resulted in some impressive results.
Product design
It all begins here. Reducing the environmental impact of our products starts with the product design phase. Design dictates the quantity of raw materials as well as the type and recyclability of materials used. It also determines how much energy is consumed during manufacturing and product use. For example, the amazingly slim 20-inch iMac is made from highly recyclable glass and aluminum and it is so energy efficient it consumes about the same amount of power as a standard light bulb when on.
Materials
Apple helps to safeguard the environment — as well as consumers’ safety — by restricting the use of environmentally harmful compounds in our materials and manufacturing processes. In addition to the substances that have already been restricted or eliminated, Apple is removing elemental forms of bromine and chlorine from our products, not just polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs). The new MacBook family also uses mercury-free light-emitting diode (LED) displays, with arsenic-free display glass.
Energy efficiency
A devices greatest contribution to greenhouse gas emissions comes from its consumptions of energy over time. Apple has made great strides in recent years to optimize the energy efficiency of our hardware and created tools, such as the Energy Saver feature in Mac OS X, that allow consumers to manage the power consumption of their computers. Since 2001, Apple desktop computers, portable computers, and displays have earned the ENERGY STAR® rating.
Recycling
Apple’s holistic, lifecycle approach to recycling includes using highly recyclable materials in products in addition to providing extensive take-back programs that enable consumers and businesses to safely dispose of used Apple equipment. Since our first take-back initiative began in Germany in 1994, we have instituted recycling programs in 95 percent of the countries where our products are sold - diverting over 53 million pounds of electronic equipment from landfills worldwide.
Latest in Apple and the Environment
Apple is on track to eliminate toxic chemicals from our products. In the 2008 Environmental Update Steve Jobs provides an overview on Apple’s progress to eliminate mercury and arsenic from displays and Brominated Flame Retardants (BFR’s) and Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC) from internal components. Steve Jobs also talks about Apple’s policy on climate change, steps taken to improve product energy-efficiency as well as overall recycling performance during 2007.
2008 Environmental Performance
Environmental performance outlines the results of Apple’s efforts to minimize the environmental impact of both its products and facilities. There are a number of reports that you can review that cover our products, facilities performance, Environmental Health and Safety Policy and recycling programs.
Recent achievements
A history of sound practice
At Apple, our commitment to the environment is second nature. Here are just a few of our recent achievements:
- The MacBook, MacBook Pro and MacBook Air have highly recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures, mercury-free displays and arsenic-free display glass. Printed circuit boards, electrical components, mechanical parts, and internal cables are BFR-free and PVC-free.
- The MacBook family is designed to be energy efficient. For example, 15-inch MacBook Pro consumes only 18W in idle with the display on, less than a third of a typical household 60W light bulb, and far exceeds Energy Star requirements.
- Energy efficient LED display technology now ships with MacBook, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and the LED Cinema Display. MacBook’s LED backlit display uses 30% less power compared to conventional CCFL-backlit displays.
- Between the first generation and current generation iMac, sleep-mode energy usage has decreased 93% thanks to improvements in CPU power management and increased hardware efficiency.
- The fourth generation iPod nano packaging is 32% lighter and uses 54% less volume than the first generation iPod nano.
- Apple products are compliant with the European Directive on the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment, also known as the RoHS directive. Examples of materials restricted by RoHS include lead, mercury, cadmium, hexavalent chromium, and PBB and PBDE flame retardants. As a result of our proactive approach to hazardous substances, Apple met many of the RoHS restrictions long before the July 2006 deadline.
Year after year, Apple has set and met important goals to phase out environmentally relevant substances, create recycling programs worldwide and improve energy efficiency. Here are some of the most important milestones in our quest for environmental responsibility:
- 1990
- Apple’s environmental policy released and implemented.
- 1991
- Phase-out of lead in batteries in advance of the 1996 European battery directive.
- 1992
- Phase-out of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in Apple manufacturing, as stipulated in the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer.
- 1992
- Founding member of the US EPA ENERGY STAR® program, developed to identify and promote energy efficient computers and monitors.
- 1994
- Phase-out of NiCad batteries.
- 1994
- First voluntary Apple product take-back program initiated in Germany (gradual expansion to other regions).
- 1995
- PVC in packaging materials phased out.
- 1996
- First Apple manufacturing site (Sacramento, CA) ISO 14001 certified.
- 1997
- First Apple products tested for conformity to TCO (Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees) standards.
- 1999
- Introduction of the Apple Product Environmental Specification (APES) files.
- 1999
- Lead and cadmium in cables restricted.
- 2000
- All Apple manufacturing sites ISO 14001 certified worldwide, signifying that Apple has a structured environmental management system (EMS) in place to manage the environmental impact of our operations.
- 2001
- All Apple computers and displays meet applicable ENERGY STAR® requirements. They continue to do so.
- 2001
- Started voluntary phase-out of tetrabisphenol A (TBBA) in all plastic enclosure parts >25 grams.
- 2002
- Product take-back solutions implemented in the US and Japan.
- 2002
- Roll-out of Apple’s global Regulated Substances Specification.
- 2002
- Signatory of European Union Code of Conduct on Power Supplies, created to encourage manufacturers to design power supplies that minimize energy consumption in off mode.
- 2002
- Founding member of US Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), which introduced energy efficiency requirements for the off mode of computer products.
- 2003
- Implementation of supplier survey initiative on substance use.
- 2004
- Investigation into BFR-free and PVC-free cable enclosures and printed circuit boards initiated.
- 2004
- Phase-out of substances restricted by the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) initiated.
- 2005
- Implementation of the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct, which governs environmental, health and safety, and human rights issues in Apple’s supply chain.
- 2006
- Apple was the first computer manufacturer to entirely replace CRT displays with material and energy efficient LCDs.
- 2007
- First products shipped with bromine-free printed circuit board laminates.
- 2007
- First MacBook Pro with mercury-free LED backlit display.
- 2008
- MacBook Air is the first product to use mercury-free backlight technology with arsenic-free LCD display glass.
- 2008
- iPhone 3G ships with PVC-free handset, headphones, USB cables, BFR-free printed circuit boards, and mercury-free LCD display.
