In a normal year, Apple generally holds a number of events, one in the summer, one in September and one in October. But the covid 19 pandemic caused minor delays this year. As iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro Max, and iphone 12 mini was initially released on Wednesday, 14 October.

Many people will like to add their favourite phone on their Christmas/ New Year’s list-especially when its the time of this pandemic where people tends to be more connected with their family, friends through Mobile phone. So, we all like to check our favourite phone and its camera quality, battery life and screen-size, it’s also worth considering the sustainablility impact of the new phone.

Accessories:

The most talked about Tech of 2020 which is this iPhone 12 which comes with no wallbrick or Earpods. simply a phone, papers and a USB-C charging cable. Apple believes most of the people who will be buying this phone are just upgrading to iPhone 12 so they won’t actually need these resources (According to apple’s Press conference).

Without a charger in a box reduces packaging space by 70%. this allows more phone box to the fit in one shipping palette. thereby reducing emissions from transporting the phones.

Apple claims that reducing the resources will mitigate minimum of 2 million metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. They have also mentioned that they are going to redevelop the previous models of iPhones to make it more sustainable to earth. critics are saying that apple is focusing more financially rather than environmental. those who are purchasing iPhone for the first time, they have to spend more than the usual amount. Point to keep in mind, Apple arguably the first in the market to bring change, this same argument was raised when Apple first got rid of the headphone jack on its phones, in a move that forced thousands of people to buy wireless headphones when they already owned a wired pair.

Production materials/ Manufacturing:

This goes back to the term vision ” one day stop mining the earth altogether”. 98% of the rare elements in the iPhone 12 are recycled. Which includes 99% in tungsten and 100% in tin inside the circuit board of the phone. All Apple manufacturing plants are zero waste to landfill and the company is working to transition to 100% renewable electricity across the supply chain but has not published an update on progress this year.

The new iPhone 12 consumes 53% less energy than the mandated US Conservation Standards for Battery Chargers. by this standards this means that it is the most efficient battery life on the market industry and it can give up to 17 hours of video playing. although apple has received several criticism on making battery life shorter for more sales of products. on recycling, apple recently unveiled a disassembly robot called Dave, whereby consumers can sell their used phones back. Phones in good condition are resold as is, and those in worse condition are repaired or refurbished first. The new model will be eligible under this scheme but some have argued that Apple should provide better prices to further incentivize uptake.

Commitments of apple in the near-future:

This July world had seen apple committing to become zero emission smartphone business on the market and it will be far more sustainable by the year 2030. It will reduce 75% of its emissions by investing in renewable electricity, clean heating and cooling, energy efficiency and materials recycling, then offset the remaining 25%. The company had already vowed to reach 100% renewable electricity across supply chains. The vision to stop non-renewable materials comes under the second commitment, along with commitments to sustainable sourcing, water stewardship and achieving zero-waste-to-landfill at factories, offices and suppliers. The third commitment is to ensure the chemical safety of products and packaging to consumers and workers at every stage of the supply chain.

Edited By: Fardin Kabir

Written By: Mohammad Aryan Tasnim