We all love our smartphones and other gadgets but unfortunately, not many of us think about the materials they are made of and where these come from. Thankfully, Apple seems to be aware of the impact the company has on the environment. The Cupertino-company is really serious about reducing its carbon use and go for renewable energy in the manufacturing process. The company even encourages its partners to do the same. This way, the environment will suffer a little less. Instead of using carbon, Apple is trying to replace it with wind and solar power. The tech company is also planning to use more recycled materials for its devices.
At some point, 100% of Apple devices will be made from recycled materials. This way, the company’s partners would not need to continue mining for new materials. By using recycled materials the quantity of waste would also decrease. Instead of just throwing out the old devices, the company could reuse them. Apple even has a name for this: the “closed loop supply chain”. Eve though this all sounds easy to do, it really isn’t. In order to be able to manufacture smartphones and other gadgets from recycled materials, Apple would need to actually recycle these. The company already has robots that dismantle smartphones, but they are not ready yet for delivering enough materials for all the devices Apple manufactures every year.
Though at this point making 100% of its devices out of recycled materials is impossible, Apple’s “closed loop supply chain” could become reality at some point. It is a long-term project of the company and we have to salute them for it. Devastating the environment is easier to do than we would think. Unfortunately, helping it recover is almost impossible. We hope Apple will manage to do exactly what it plans to do and thus save a piece of our planet. Who knows? Maybe other tech companies will follow in the footsteps of the Cupertino company.
Source: Ars Technica
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