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Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

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61–70 of 79 posts

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#61
post #21
post #9

I really appreciate their effort to go towards more recycling, but to me a lot of this is completely moot as long as they don’t provide a stronger incentive to surrender your old devices for recycling. It’s actually really simple to reach $0 trade-in value due to absolutely silly things like a scratched display. Why would I be giving you back my iPhone for free when even glass bottles are $0.5 when recommissioned…

Since they offer the EDU discount they might as well offer a blanket “it boots get $100 off” deal for returned machines. Though the cost of responsibly recycle and dispose of an old computer might make the $0 offer actually a decent one.

They already do that in the UK https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/trade-in

Google do similar, as do most electronics retailers.

Is that not not a thing in the US? Perhaps it ought to be.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#62
post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since they offer the EDU discount they might as well offer a blanket “it boots get $100 off” deal for returned machines. Though the cost of responsibly recycle and dispose of an old computer might make the $0 offer actually a decent one.

They already do that in the UK https://www.apple.com/uk/shop/trade-in Google do similar, as do most electronics retailers. Is that not not a thing in the US? Perhaps it ought to be.

Only in some areas, and only voluntarily (perhaps except for CA) - Apple will take a computer I believe, but sometimes you get $0 'value' from it.

If they offer even anything, you'll get a lot more pickup - everyone will learn "get a discount at the Apple Store if you bring in an old PC" and reduce the amount of electronic waste.

However, done too well or for too much, and you could greatly reduce the availability of older still-working machines.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#63
post #50

How about stop making planned obsolence products? How about not charging outrageous prices when their computers need repair?

In my experience, Apple phones are pretty good at not being obsolete. I gave my old iPhone X to my father who's still using it, 9 years later, with software updates to iOS. Compare that to the Google Pixel 2 (which came out in the same year), got it's last software update 3 years later.

Iphone x hasn't received ios updates since 2023. That's better than 3 years, but it's not receiving updates any more

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#64
post #48
post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I consider soldered-in RAM a reliability win. It's more shock resistant and a connector that doesn't exist can not fail.

Was that ever an issue for you?

I have broken the connectors that held in RAM on a Mac.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#65
post #63
post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience, Apple phones are pretty good at not being obsolete. I gave my old iPhone X to my father who's still using it, 9 years later, with software updates to iOS. Compare that to the Google Pixel 2 (which came out in the same year), got it's last software update 3 years later.

Iphone x hasn't received ios updates since 2023. That's better than 3 years, but it's not receiving updates any more

It hasn't gotten a major update since 2023, but it still gets security updates and bug fixes.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#66
post #53

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Resale or sticking it in a drawer "just in case"

Not throwing it away is a win though. It's the throwing it away that is the problem. Not having a phone in the first place is the best for the environment. Failing that, having someone else reuse that phone is best. Only if all else fails is recycling the preferred option. So of course people are going to concentrate on the problem of people just throwing these things away. And that's for anything. Not just phones.

Sticking in a drawer "just in case" is throwing it away while it takes up space in your house and can't be recycled.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#67
post #55
post #51

If they want "eco progress" they should make their devices repairable. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. *In that priority* Reduce & Reuse by making it repairable! See: https://www.epa.gov/recycle

Well Reduce is really more "Why do you need this (device/pair of shoes/car/shirt/whatever) in the first place?" But the Reuse part is definitely served, at least in part, through repair.

The equivalent reduction would be device consolidation, with the folding iPhone having the greatest capacity since it could replace an iPad and with cheap peripherals be at least as good a computer as a MacBook Neo. Of course, being Apple, it's reportedly only able to run iPhone apps heh.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#68
post #57

I know this is mostly marketing, but I appreciate the discourse and effort they seems to put into this. Companies are a poor choice for governance/directions to avoid a tragedy of the common anyway, the answers should come from a governmental body, so any unforced effort put on recycling by companies are good.

this

I absolutely want to see them embrace repairability and such, but kudos to them for the work they're doing and the progress they've made. They make it look good, that's good. I'd hate to see them stop. It's not like they're a non-profit.

If anything, I want more companies to do what they're doing (and better, duh), but most companies won't because they have no incentive (Apple can do it because $$$). If I want to hold them to a higher standard, I'll vote for someone who will hold everyone to a higher standard by encouraging those kinds of decisions (read "$$$"). I'm fine with my tax dollars going toward indirectly helping me, including my Apple tax dollars.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#69
post #39
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do you also distrust those? I suspect the OP made a mistake and forgot the word “not” in “I'm accusing Apple of lying, but I'd like to get more context than” (otherwise the “but” makes little sense). I expect they are asking in good faith if there are audits, not accusing the auditors of being corrupt.

It really comes down to whether we trust Apple to do the work; auditors can be found that will certify anything you need even if not at the fraud levels of Arthur Anderson. And this kind of thing can be hard to independently verify. Given Apple’s track record I suspect they actually do care about this internally and spend the effort to make sure it is “real”.

I don't expect absolute perfection from Apple but I think they are putting in good faith effort towards these improvements and are just proud of their accomplishments.

If it was strictly a feel-good PR effort then that would have the complete opposite effect if their environmental claims were found to be fabricated, and it would just take one whistleblower anywhere in their own staff, their auditing teams, or anywhere in their global supply chain to bring down that whole facade.

Re: Apple accelerates eco progress with highest-ever recycled materials

#70
post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It really comes down to whether we trust Apple to do the work; auditors can be found that will certify anything you need even if not at the fraud levels of Arthur Anderson. And this kind of thing can be hard to independently verify. Given Apple’s track record I suspect they actually do care about this internally and spend the effort to make sure it is “real”.

I don't expect absolute perfection from Apple but I think they are putting in good faith effort towards these improvements and are just proud of their accomplishments. If it was strictly a feel-good PR effort then that would have the complete opposite effect if their environmental claims were found to be fabricated, and it would just take one whistleblower anywhere in their own staff, their auditing teams, or anywher…

I agree, it seems to be something Tim Apple personally cares about and he'd not likely to want the smoke blown.

Apple has independently clamped down on suppliers without being forced to, iirc.

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