On the occasion of the publication of its annual report on the projects carried out thanks to its issue of green bondsgreen bonds, Apple has just given an update on one of the most interesting and innovative projects of recent years: the production of “green” aluminum, because it is more ecological, and intended to replace the aluminum produced from classic way in the more or less long term.
The iPhone SE, the first step on a path that already has many
And as if to prove that this technology has reached maturity, Apple communicates on the use of this green aluminum in its latest smartphone, the iPhone SE. The entry-level smartphone will be the first to officially benefit from this treatment. Why officially? Because another product, the 2019 16-inch MacBook Pro, had already been entitled to this material, but without Apple talking about it and knowing if all the units produced benefited from it.
The fact that an iPhone adopts this aluminum shows in any case that the source of supply is now quite solid and of high quality. But before going any further, let’s go back a bit.
It all started for Apple in 2015 when three of its engineers, Brian Lynch, Jim Yurko and Katie Sassaman, embarked on a quest for less polluting aluminum. Indeed, since the discovery or creation of aluminum by Charles Hall, in 1886, the manufacturing process is substantially the same. It calls for a strong electric current to be applied to a carbon anode and alumina. Therefore, when aluminum is produced a significant amount of CO2 is also emitted. At a time of the fight against global warming, this is not very ecological.
The three Apple engineers will therefore knock on the door of Alcoa Corporation, a company founded by Charles Hall, which continues to produce aluminum today. And precisely, researchers of this structure have just discovered a more ecological means of producing aluminum, by replacing coal with another conductive material during extraction by fusion. This change leads to an aluminum production that no longer emits greenhouse gases, but… oxygen.
Apple, like a good fairy leaning on the cradle
To enable this new approach to be applied on an industrial scale, in 2018 Apple will help bring together Alcoa Corporation and another player in the sector, Rio Tinto, who will create a joint ventureElysis, with a capital of 144 million dollars, Apple modestly putting ten million on the table.
A year later, Apple buys the first result of the production of this new aluminum which comes out of a factory located in Canada, in the province of Quebec. The quantity is not yet sufficient to be used on a large scale. And if the information circulates on this first order, Apple does not say what it will be used for. We now know that, and owners of the first and latest 16-inch Intel-based MacBook Pros may have a little piece of history in their hands.
Anyway, since 2019, and satisfied with the purity of the “green” aluminum produced, Apple has helped Elysis to ramp up. Understand by this that he invested more heavily in his production. As usual, the Cupertino giant does not, however, give details on the sums invested.
It will therefore be necessary to be content with knowing that this new industrial step is part of the green bonds, which Apple has been issuing since 2016 – for a total value of 4.7 billion dollars – of which two billion euros have been invested. in projects in Europe since the third wave of issuance in 2019.
Figures that seem to show that Tim Cook’s teams are giving themselves the means to achieve their ambitions… But precisely, Apple’s major ambition is approaching and still requires a lot of effort.
A huge effort, but only a small part of a gigantic whole
It should be understood that aluminum is a central element in many Apple products – almost all of them, and that this green aluminum is therefore essential. Nevertheless, as colossal and innovative as this green aluminum project is, it is only a part, almost a tiny part of a gigantic whole.
It is only one more step towards the main objective which is a neutral carbon footprint for all of Apple’s activity by 2030, in the same way as the transition of all Apple buildings to a power supply. in electricity from renewable sources in 2018, for example.
But to stay at the level of what we can all touch, the products, this new aluminum is part of an approach “low-carbon design” – which has been allocated approximately $28.07 million over various projects.
From the design of its Macs or iPhones, Apple now wants to reduce or eliminate carbon emissions. Choosing the right materials is therefore a first step, working towards energy and material efficiency – with less waste – in the production chain as well. But, the long-term objective, concerning aluminum, is to use only recycled material.
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All iPads, MacBook Airs and MacBook Pros, as well as the Mac mini, and even the Watch are already designed solely with recycled aluminum. Thanks to this effort, and with the first steps of green aluminum, Apple would have already reduced its carbon footprint linked to the use of this material by 70%. Recycling, however, is not easy. The different types of aluminum used should not be mixed in order to maintain a quality and purity that meets Apple’s level of requirements.
In the long term – and after how many more tiny or colossal steps? –, Tim Cook’s teams will therefore no longer need Elysis, or less and less. But, nevertheless, they rely heavily on this new approach and sincerely hope that the competition will take an interest in it.
This is also why the Cupertino company is highlighting this project that it helped to create. Because, after being so many times, Apple would really like to be copied, this time too…