Apple, one of the largest technology giants in the world, made crucial statements at the launch of the iPhone 12 on October 13. This announcement is different from other brands and previous iPhone promotions because they announced that they had removed the charging adaptor from the iPhone 12 boxes. If people want to use the charger, they have to pay for a charger beside the phone. From now on, packages are not included in charging adaptor and wired headphones. Of course, this move takes both customer's and other tech brands' attention and looks like Apple's new promotion method for iPhone 12. Was this unconventional selling style just for money, or could it really be beneficial for climate change?
When Apple announced their new phone, they also explained why they removed the usual devices selling with the phones. Apple authorities make a statement that it was related to their new environmental policies. In the launching meeting, they say that without charging adaptor and wearing headphones, the boxes will be significantly smaller, and in one shipping pallet, 70% more iPhone can be placed. The significance of improving shipping palettes' capacity is related to the carbon emission and carbon footprint of the brand.
Lisa Jackson is Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives argues that people do not use not only Apple’s charging adaptors, they generally use their USB cables or third companies’ devices for both adapter and headphones. They believe that Apple produces billions of adaptors unnecessarily. In Apple’s environmentalist policies, they state that by redesigning, restructuring, and rethinking the materials and energy used for Apple products, they can further reduce carbon emissions from manufacturing. The average amount of energy consumed by Apple products since 2008 has decreased by 73%. The goal is to have a net-zero carbon impact by 2030.
Apple is not a brand that just made these environmental decisions. In their data centers, distribution centers, retail stores, and offices had already reduced the carbon footprint, and all these areas run on 100% renewable energy since 2018. The new decisions focus on low carbon product design.
Apple products are popular in many countries and preferable mostly for their minimalist designs. It becomes a social status and represents the idea of cool people generally. People love their color, and they also prefer products' packaging, even products' boxes because of their design. Apple analyzes the environmental, social, and global supply impacts of 45 materials and their materials for both production and packaging. They prioritize renewable and recycle materials as a result and focus on fourteen materials as a resource: aluminum, cobalt, copper, glass, gold, lithium, paper, plastic, rare earth materials, steel, tantalum, tin, tungsten and zinc. In this way, Apple reduced its carbon footprint by 4.3 million tons in 2019. It is still continuing to reduce recycling materials and different technologies used for adapting materials in the design and products. In the latest iPhone 12 launch, Lisa Jackson says it is a unique opportunity to move the planet forward. It is also sending a message to lawmakers for renewable energy not only significant but also good for business. According to Jackson, Apple's support and lead a crucial role to make an impression on other tech giants with intense climate change action and cooperation. In the paper distribution chain, Apple works with The Conservation Fund and the World Wildlife Fund to ensure the continuity of reliable paper supply worldwide. While doing this, they contribute to the conservation and management of more than 400,000 hectares of sustainable forests in the USA and China.
Many people criticize Apple because of removing chargers and headphones from the iPhone's boxes, and these people argue that not shipping these devices might be helpful to save the environment. But the reality for them is that Apple's decision is not an environment-centric movement; it is made for the company's financial benefit. Before we decide it is a financial decision or environmentalist action, the significant thing is that even it is made for the company's financial benefit, it is a fact that they defend their stories with a sufficient underlying argument. Even it is not about the environment, and their policies started to shape a few years ago.
At least, the company, which has such a massive production and distribution chain, moves that can help climate change. Removing the charging adaptor maybe tomorrow will be Samsung's move. The significant issue for giant tech companies is not only saying that they have made a profit in the distribution by removing their charging devices, but also using recycled materials, finding new technologies to implement energy-saving developments, and using renewable energy in their offices, and productions. It seems that Apple chooses influential promotion for iPhone 12 under environmentalist policies.