Apple has announced that its new lineup of iPhones won’t come with accessories such as a wall charger or earbuds. From an environmental perspective, it’s a great move.
The absence of accessories enables smaller and lighter packaging and also allows for 70 percent more boxes to be shipped on a pallet. Furthermore, the move reduces the need to mine and use precious materials.
According to Apple, the changes will cut more than 2 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually - roughly the same effect as taking 450,000 cars off the road for a year.
Apple says there are already 2 billion Apple power adapters and 700 million Lightning headphones out there in the world, so producing more isn’t really necessary at this time. And if you’re new to the Apple ecosystem and want to get these accessories, you can order them a la carte on Apple’s website.
Apple already claims carbon-neutrality for global corporate operations and plans a net-zero climate impact across its whole business by 2030. The iPhone 12 Pro models are the first to incorporate 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. For those that decide to purchase the new iPhone, perhaps the price tag might be a little less painful when you think about how much e-waste you’re avoiding.
Source: inhabitat.com