Apple Publishes New ‘Paper and Packaging Strategy’ White Paper

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In a newly published ‘Paper and Packaging Strategy’ white paper, Apple has highlighted the steps taken to ensure the iPhone packaging is environmentally friendly, detailing how it reduces its paper impact by using paper more efficiently, sourcing it responsibly, and protecting sustainable working forests (via MacRumors). Apple notes that in order to protect the environment for the future, it has the following three priorities in place:

  1. Reduce impact on climate change by using renewable energy sources and driving energy efficiency in products and facilities. 
  2. Conserve precious resources by using materials efficiently, using more recycled and renewable content in products, and recovering material from products at the end of their life. 
  3. Identify, develop, and utilize safer materials in products and processes.

Apple has made significant efforts in changing the iPhone packaging from iPhone 6s to iPhone 7. The iPhone 6s packaging included two stacked plastic trays that hold the device and accessories separately, but with iPhone 7, Apple has used a single tray to do the work of two, which has significantly reduced the packaging’s material footprint. 

The company also highlights how its environmental teams found a fiber-based material that could be used to make the trays, replacing the petroleum-based plastic previously used, in the white paper. 

“Finding a fiber alternative proved challenging since fiber naturally expands and contracts with changes in humidity. The significant number of suppliers and locations through which the power adapter wrap would pass made controlling the humidity of the environment impossible. This required Apple to take a very hands-on approach, working directly with the supplier to alter aspects of the manufacturing process to create a fiber wrap that would meet technical needs.”

You can download the entire white paper in .pdf format at this link.

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