Apple’s Cupertino Recycling Push Reshapes Gadgets
- Apple's Cupertino-based recycling initiative is changing how the company designs and disassembles devices. - Programs expand use of recycled materials, automated disassembly robots, and in-store trade-in incentives. - Policy shifts aim to reduce e-waste and reshape supply chains, drawing attention from regulators and consumers (patch.com).
Apple says 30 percent of the material in products it shipped in 2025 came from recycled content, its highest share yet. (apple.com) The Cupertino company said on April 16 that it now uses 100 percent recycled cobalt in all batteries it designs and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets. Apple tied that progress to device take-backs, parts recovery, and changes in product engineering. (apple.com) Apple’s recycling system starts with trade-ins and returns, then splits devices between refurbishment and material recovery. Devices that cannot be reused go to disassembly systems such as Daisy, a robot Apple says can take apart 36 iPhone models into separate components. (apple.com) That disassembly step matters because shredding mixes glass, plastic, and metals together, making high-value materials harder to recover cleanly. Apple says Daisy is built to separate parts so cobalt, rare earth elements, and other materials can go back into supply chains. (apple.com) The company has been building this program for years from Cupertino, where it has used annual environmental reports and product targets to push suppliers and designers toward recycled inputs. In 2025, Apple said it had reached 99 percent recycled rare earth elements in magnets and 99 percent recycled cobalt in Apple-designed batteries before moving to 100 percent this year. (apple.com, apple.com) Apple’s materials push also changes product design before a device ever reaches a recycler. On its environment page, the company says iPhone batteries can be removed with “simple tools,” a shift aimed at faster repair and easier end-of-life processing. (apple.com) The company has also widened the collection network feeding those systems. In 2019, Apple said it was quadrupling the number of locations where U.S. customers could send iPhones for Daisy disassembly, including devices returned through Best Buy. (apple.com) Apple has argued that recycled metals can cut mining demand and lower emissions across its supply chain. In its 2025 Environmental Progress Report, the company said it had reduced overall greenhouse gas emissions by more than 60 percent from 2015 levels while expanding recycled and renewable materials. (apple.com) Regulators and consumers are also watching whether recycling claims are matched by repair access and longer device life. Apple’s current environment materials say the company is pairing recovery with design changes, trying to keep more devices in use before they ever reach Daisy’s conveyor. (apple.com) The next test is whether Apple can keep raising recycled content while making devices easier to repair, trade in, and take apart at scale. For now, the company’s recycling push is no longer just a factory-floor program; it is shaping what goes into the next iPhone before it is built. (apple.com, apple.com)
