- Kyle Chua
Apple Plans To Use Low-Carbon Aluminium in iPhone SE
Apple has announced that it plans to use the world’s first commercial-purity low-carbon aluminium for the iPhone SE.
Montreal-based manufacturer Elysis managed to produce aluminium ingots through an innovative smelting process that only emits oxygen as a by-product instead of greenhouse gasses. And Apple said it will purchase the first batch with the intent to use it on the iPhone SE.
The Cupertino company said the smelting process of Elysis is almost entirely carbon-free, with the Canadian metal company’s Industrial Research and Development Centre in Quebec running on hydroelectric power.
"This is the first time aluminium has been produced at this commercial purity, without any greenhouse gas emission and at an industrial scale," said Vincent Christ, CEO of Elysis. "We are excited to be working alongside Apple on this advancement, which has the potential to make lasting changes in how aluminium is produced.”
The breakthrough was made possible thanks to Apple’s investments in Green Bonds, which fund the development of low-carbon manufacturing and recycling technologies. Apple said it has donated over US$4.7 billion to spur these advancements that look to lower global emissions. In 2018, it started an investment partnership with Alcoa and Rio Tinto, the two aluminium suppliers behind Elysis, along with the governments of Canada and Quebec. The following year, the first-ever commercial batch of aluminium from the joint-venture for use in the production of the 16-inch MacBook Pro.
“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, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.
Apple also noted how it has been using recycled aluminium in its products since 2015, which it claims reduced carbon emissions from aluminium production by nearly 70%. Every model in the iPad lineup, including the new iPad Air, as well as the Apple Watch and the Mac Mini, among other products are reportedly made with a 100% recycled aluminium enclosure.
The company is also using its Green Bonds to develop new sources of renewable energy. It plans to allocate up to US$500 million of the company’s 2019 Green Bond proceeds to onshore wind turbines in Viborg, Denmark, which power Apple’s data centres.
Apple has announced that it plans to use the world’s first commercial-purity low-carbon aluminium for the iPhone SE.
The metals are made by Canadian metal supplier Elysis through an innovative smelting process that emits oxygen as a by-product instead of greenhouse gasses.
The breakthrough was made possible thanks to Apple’s investments in Green Bonds, which fund the development of low-carbon manufacturing and recycling technologies.