Apple Is Recycling More Materials Thanks to a New Robot Called Taz
Apple outlined its latest efforts to reduce, reuse, and recycle waste in the company's 2022 Environmental Progress Report, published just ahead of Earth Day.
The 128-page document—introduced by Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives—claims that nearly 20% of materials shipped last year came from recycled sources, while the company "more than doubled" its use of recycled tungsten, rare earth elements, and cobalt.
More specifically, Apple products last year used 45% recycled rarer earth elements, 30% recycled tin, 13% recycled cobalt, and certified recycled gold was used for the first time. Apple has been recycling gold for years, though.
"We also know that a greener future must be a more equitable one," Jackson wrote about company schemes like Impact Accelerator and Power for Impact, which invest in next-gen innovations and aid underserved communities, respectively.
With an eye toward achieving carbon neutrality, eliminating plastic packing, and developing smarter design and build programs, Apple introduced its latest creation: a new robot called Taz, which uses "shredder-like technology" to separate magnets from audio modules and recover other rare earth elements typically lost in conventional machines. Taz joins disassembly robots Daisy and Dave, and should help improve overall material recovery rates even further.
Apple didn't let a global pandemic stop it from making environmental progress: As the report details, the company last year achieved carbon neutrality for corporate emissions, reduced overall emissions by 40%, funded 10 clean energy projects, and received the EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award (for the second time in a row).
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