Apple said Thursday it plans to use the world’s first commercial-grade, low-carbon aluminum in the iPhone SE. It will come from a Canadian company called Elysis. And funds from Apple’s $4.7 billion in Green Bonds supporting green technology will pay for it.
It’s the first aluminum manufactured at industrial scale without carbon emissions. That makes it better for the environment than aluminum produced by other manufacturing techniques.
Apple’s Green Bonds fund low-carbon aluminum for use in iPhone SE
Cupertino said its Green Bond investments helped jump-start the development of new low-carbon manufacturing and recycling technologies. Apple has issued three Green Bonds since 2016. Projects showcase how the investments can reduce global emissions and bring clean power to communities.
As part of that, Apple is purchasing direct carbon-free aluminum following a major advancement in smelting technology to reduce emissions. The aluminum is the first of its type, manufactured at industrial scale — outside of a laboratory — without creating direct carbon emissions during smelting.
The company intends to introduce the material in the iPhone SE.
“Apple is committed to leaving the planet better than we found it, and our Green Bonds are a key tool to drive our environmental efforts forward,” said Lisa Jackson in a press release. She’s Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “Our investments are advancing the breakthrough technologies needed to reduce the carbon footprint of the materials we use, even as we move to using only recyclable and renewable materials across our products to conserve the earth’s finite resources.”
Photo: Apple
Goal of carbon neutrality by 2030
Apple has issued a total of $4.7 billion in Green Bonds toward the goal of carbon neutrality across its supply chain by 2030. Its first two bonds in 2016 and 2017 are now fully allocated, Apple said.
The 2019 Green Bond supports 50 projects, including low-carbon aluminum. The 50 projects will mitigate or offset 2,883,000 metric tons of CO2e, Apple said. They will install nearly 700 megawatts of renewable energy capacity around the world. And they’ll promote new recycling research and development.
Aluminum is one of the world’s most widely used metals. Elysis’ direct carbon-free smelting process has the potential to reduce the climate impact of the production process.
Innovation in green aluminum smelting
Elysis noted the breakthrough technology produces oxygen instead of greenhouse gases. The company produced the aluminum at its Industrial Research and Development Centre in Quebec using hydropower.
Apple helped spur this advancement in aluminum production through an investment partnership with Alcoa, Rio Tinto and the governments of Canada and Quebec. The agreement began in 2018.
The following year, Apple purchased the first-ever commercial batch of aluminum resulting from the joint venture, using it in the production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
“This is the first time aluminum has been produced at this commercial purity, without any greenhouse gas emission and at industrial scale. The sale to Apple confirms the market’s interest in aluminum produced using our breakthrough Elysis carbon-free smelting technology,” said Elysis CEO Vincent Christ. “We are excited to [work] alongside Apple on this advancement. [It] has the potential to make lasting changes in how aluminum is produced.”
Photo: Apple
Widespread use of recycled metals, hydroelectricity
Apple said today’s milestone builds on the progress the company has made in reducing its products’ carbon impact from aluminum and other metals. It did so by switching to recycled aluminum and aluminum smelted using hydroelectricity instead of fossil fuels. Through those actions, the company’s aluminum-based carbon emissions have decreased by nearly 70 percent since 2015.
Every model in the iPad lineup, including the new iPad Air, are made with a 100-percent recycled aluminum enclosure. And so are the latest MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, Mac mini and Apple Watch.
