14 DAY TRIAL // Apple's chief executive officer, Steve Jobs, has published the company's environmental plans revealing how Apple managed to remove most of the toxic chemicals in its new notebook line, but also how recycling is handled, with the overall carbon footprint being diminished.
Steve Jobs' open message begins by explaining that "For the past several years, Apple has made a concerted effort to be more transparent about the steps we are taking to protect the environment and make our business more sustainable.” He then continues to say that, “In this environmental update, I’d like to inform you of our recent progress and introduce you to a groundbreaking system of reporting that we believe is unmatched in our industry."
Speaking of Apple's ongoing efforts of Removing Toxic Chemicals, Jobs points out that "Last year we announced the unprecedented goal of eliminating polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from Apple products by the end of 2008. We also pledged to remove mercury from our displays and arsenic from our display glass as we transition to more efficient light-emitting diode (LED) technology.”
According to Apple's chief executive, the company's greatest challenges were to eliminate PVC and BFRs, “which many other companies have only promised to phase out of certain parts like enclosures or printed circuit board laminates,” says Jobs. “In contrast, we are removing all forms of bromine and chlorine throughout the entire product, not just PVC and BFRs,” Apple's chief executive officer vouches. “Apple has qualified and tested thousands of components and mechanical plastics as bromine and chlorine free, and we are in the final stages of developing and certifying PVC-free power cables," Jobs asserts.
Skipping the Recycling part, which is generally done the same throughout the industry, one last detail we'd like to share is how Apple thought of optimizing the process through which it reduces its carbon footprint. Steve Jobs sheds more light on it, explaining how Apple measures the emissions produced at each stage of a product’s lifecycle, “from production and transportation to consumer use and eventual recycling.” Jobs promises to everyone reading his post, that “Starting today, Apple will report this information for each new product we introduce.” This way, Apple hopes to provide customers with a better understanding of how the company strives to go green.
Here, you can read the full article containing insights on Product Design, Materials, Energy Efficiency, Recycling, as well as the Product Environmental Reports for Apple's entire product lineup.