14 DAY TRIAL // The headphones that ship with Apple’s newest iPod touch model are enclosed in an environmentally-friendly package that melts away when dipped in lukewarm water. The material is thought to be renewable tapioca paper foam.
Continuing its commitment to stay green across the map, Apple not only makes highly-recyclable products, but also eco-friendly packaging for all the gadgets it sells.
The latest such example is the fifth-generation iPod touch. The player comes with Apple’s scientifically-engineered EarPods which, themselves, are encased in a supportive structure.
This secondary packaging, as Mashable has discovered, dissolves instantly when placed in water. The remnants of the packaging look like a fine pulp.
Asked about the material used for the EarPods’ case, Apple was mum. But the company did point to its Environment site, where visitors can learn a great deal about the Mac maker’s efforts to stay friendly to the natural environment.
Mashable believes that the most likely source for this squishy material is renewable tapioca paper foam. It adds that the iPhone 5 EarPods ship in a plastic container that isn't susceptible to such damage.
On its website, Apple elaborates on these environmentally-conscious materials, noting that, “In addition to eliminating toxins and designing products with highly recyclable aluminum enclosures, Apple works with environmentally conscious materials including recycled plastics, recycled paper, biopolymers, and vegetable-based inks.”
The Cupertino giant says it has also developed ways to reengineer secondary materials to the standard of its designs.
“For example, our fan assemblies use advanced materials derived from repolymerized plastic bottles,” the company says.
Apple makes a few notes about the packaging of speaker assemblies and internal Brackets, revealing that all these are now made from recycled PC-ABS.
Finally, it mentions the material that the EarPods could be using for their packaging (emphasis ours).
“Our packaging designs use pulp fiber from post-consumer paper streams, and we use vegetable-based inks for our product user guides. Millions of iPhone packages are made from renewable tapioca paper foam material. And iTunes gift cards are made from 100 percent recycled paper.”