Apple has announced that it plans to use 100% recycled cobalt in batteries by 2025 as part of its ongoing efforts to become carbon neutral across its supply chain and products by 2030.
The tech giant has significantly expanded its use of certified recycled cobalt in the past three years, with a quarter of all cobalt used in Apple products in 2022 coming from recycled material, up from 13% the previous year.
Cobalt is a critical material in the batteries used in most consumer electronics, including Apple devices, enabling high energy density while also meeting Apple’s robust standards for longevity and safety. Apple-designed batteries found in iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBook, and many other products represent a significant majority of the company’s use of cobalt.
Apple also plans to use recycled rare earth elements in magnets found in its devices and recycled tin soldering and gold plating in-house designed printed circuit boards by 2025. The company already sources over two-thirds of all aluminum, nearly three-quarters of all rare earths, and more than 95% of all tungsten in its products from recycled material.
In 2022, the company greatly expanded its use of 100% certified recycled rare earth elements, going from 45% in 2021 to 73% in 2022. As magnets are by far Apple’s largest use of rare earths, the new 2025 target means nearly all rare earths in Apple products will soon be 100% recycled.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, said: “Our ambition to one day use 100 percent recycled and renewable materials in our products works hand in hand with Apple 2030: our goal to achieve carbon neutral products by 2030. We’re working toward both goals with urgency and advancing innovation across our entire industry in the process.”
Apple CEO Tim Cook added: “Every day, Apple is innovating to make technology that enriches people’s lives, while protecting the planet we all share. From the recycled materials in our products, to the clean energy that powers our operations, our environmental work is integral to everything we make and to who we are. So we’ll keep pressing forward in the belief that great technology should be great for our users, and for the environment.”
The sources for this piece include an article in Reuters.
