Roger Fingas
Apple has quietly released "Product Environmental Reports" for its two new Macs, championing their energy efficiency and the use of recyclable materials.
The 2018 Mac mini uses 60 percent recycled plastic in the foot cover and connector wall, and 27 percent "bio-based" plastic in its fan, according to one fact sheet. The lifetime carbon footprint is said to be 226 kilograms, or about 498 pounds, 45 percent lower than the 2014 model.
The new MacBook Air reportedly uses 100 percent recycled aluminum for its enclosure, and 100 percent recycled tin in the logic board solder. 35 percent "or more" of the plastic in the speakers and vent is recycled.
Apple claims that the entry-level version of the laptop has a carboon footprint of roughly 176 kilograms, a little over 385 pounds.
Some other details mentioned include packaging improvements. In both cases, all of the wood fiber in used is said to to come from "recycled and responsible" sources, the actual recycled amount being 37 percent. 96 percent of the Mini's box is fiber-based.
With the Air, Apple touts that it uses 87 percent less plastic in its 2018 packaging than it did last year, and that the amount of recycled content in its fiber is 46 percent.
In April last year Apple revealed plans to eventually build its products using entirely recycled materials. Even at the time, though, the company admitted it wasn't sure how it would obtain that goal.
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12 Comments
I'm pretty sure that "hypes" (from the headline) is not a synonym for "has quietly released" (in the opening sentence).
When I was working in Apple Retail for a time we were asked to talk about the recyclability of iPhones and (in a nutshell) how Apple made products being environmentally aware. Not one person ever showed the slightest amount of care for that and it was obvious to me that it made little difference, if any, in their purchasing decision. On a few occasions I even had people make disparaging remarks to me about it. I found that mildly interesting considering the headlines when Greenpeace or whoever take Apple to task over environmental issues. And I know lots of people who recycle in their own home but also don't care that their iPhone is potentially more environmentally friendly than some other phone.
So if they really wanted to make an end-to-end impact they would alter the designs to allow easier RAM and SSD upgrades in order to allow users to extend the lifetimes of these devices - most especially the Mini... This design ethic that demands glue and solder has to be re-thought in light of the environmental impact. Yeah I know the new Mini has upgradable RAM but have a look at the process - ridiculously over-engineered - why the proprietary screws? This to drive higher revenue per device - in direct contradiction with the environmental rah-rah --- stop the duplicity Apple!