When it comes to being environmentally friendly, Apple approaches things differently — through our products. That’s why MacBook Pro is energy efficient and free of many harmful toxins.
View a PDF of Apple’s Environmental Status Report for
13-inch MacBook Pro
15-inch MacBook Pro
17-inch MacBook Pro
Energy Efficiency
MacBook Pro is designed to be energy efficient straight out of the box. It’s even earned the EPA’s ENERGY STAR qualification for its low power consumption.
Efficient power supply.
MacBook Pro includes a highly efficient power supply that reduces the amount of power wasted when bringing electricity from the wall to your computer. Lower power consumption reduces energy bills and lessens the environmental impact of greenhouse gas emissions from power stations.
Advanced power management.
Unlike a lot of Windows-based PC systems, MacBook Pro uses energy-efficient hardware components that work hand in hand with the operating system to conserve power. Mac OS X activates sleep mode on already energy-efficient LED-backlit displays. And it balances tasks across both central processors and graphics processors. Mac OS X never misses a power-saving opportunity, no matter how small. It even regulates the processor between keystrokes, reducing power between the letters you type. That’s just one of many ways Apple manages small amounts of power that add up to big savings.
ENERGY STAR qualification.
MacBook Pro meets the stringent low power requirements set by the EPA in their ENERGY STAR 5.2 qualification. ENERGY STAR 5.2 sets significantly higher efficiency limits for power supplies and aggressive limits for the computer’s typical annual power consumption.
Mac OS X even regulates processor activity between keystrokes, saving milliwatts of power.
Eliminating Toxic Substances
It’s what MacBook Pro doesn’t have that makes it more environmentally friendly. It’s free of many harmful toxins like mercury, arsenic, BFRs and PVC.
Fewer toxins.
The greatest environmental challenge facing the computer industry today is the presence of arsenic, brominated flame retardants (BFRs), mercury, phthalates and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in products. Apple engineers have worked hard to eliminate BFRs and PVC from MacBook Pro circuit boards, internal and external cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives and more.1 And they’ve eliminated many other toxins that are a common part of notebook computer manufacturing — choosing, for example, mercury-free backlighting and arsenic-free glass for the MacBook Pro display.
Reduced Packaging
MacBook Pro packaging is designed to be as small as possible, so more products fit on fewer planes.
Smaller boxes, fewer planes.
Every MacBook Pro comes in a smaller package than it used to — including our most popular model, the 13-inch, which ships in packaging that’s 41 per cent smaller than the original. And smaller boxes are much better for the planet. Because smaller boxes mean we can fit more boxes on each shipping pallet. Which means more products will fit on each boat and plane. Which means fewer boats and planes are used, resulting in fewer CO2 emissions. It’s one seemingly minor change. But it has a major positive impact on our environment.
Recyclability
Because MacBook Pro is made from aluminium, it’s more likely to be recycled and reused at the end of its long, productive life.
Recyclable materials.
Apple has minimised the waste when MacBook Pro reaches end of life through its ultra-efficient design and the use of aluminium, which recyclers can reuse for other products.
EPEAT Gold
MacBook Pro has earned EPEAT Gold status for its responsible manufacture, energy efficiency and recyclability.
EPEAT Gold rating.
The Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool, or EPEAT, evaluates the environmental impact of a product based on how recyclable it is, how much energy it uses and how it’s designed and manufactured. Through its innovative and environmentally friendly design, MacBook Pro has earned the highest rating of EPEAT Gold.2
Apple and the environment.
Apple takes a complete product life cycle approach to determining our environmental impact.
Life cycle impact.
Apple’s life cycle analysis accounts for all emissions associated with our products. That includes raw material extraction, manufacturing, packaging, transportation, a three- or four-year period of use,3 and recycling. In the course of this analysis, we determined that more than 95 per cent of Apple’s total greenhouse gas emissions come from the products we make.
Learn more on the Apple and the Environment site