Apple makes great investment in making its products eco-friendly - but is there something missing in this mission? CNET’s Bridget Carey pokes at the sustainability struggles, including having better recycled products when consumers are willing to pay more to do their part.
0:00 Apple’s Eco-Friendly Mission
0:47 Global E-Waste Is On The Rise
1:28 Apple's Recycled Accessories
3:15 Compostable iPhone Cases
4:16 Smaller iPhone Packages and Recycled Earbud Cases
5:11 Carbon Neutrality Vs. Frequent Product Updates
6:26 Replacing Old iPhone Batteries
7:19 Big Companies Not Doing Their Part
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#earthday #recycle #apple #sustainability #environment
Capitalism and living an eco-friendly lifestyle are completely at odds. It’s like putting out a fire with a flamethrower inside a a water hose
Not being able to change your batteries on there products is a huge problem. All those AirPods that they forced onto users via removing the headphone jack. How much e-waste they directly created there and indirectly as competitors copied this approach
Fairphone just released new earbuds with replaceable batteries
EU is luckily bringing the replaceable batteries back.
@@stratos7755Don’t think the EU will win with that one though, hopefully!
Airpods arent forced onto users. You can still use cable.
By using the charging port,so either you charge it or listen to music.... If you want the both route then "get yourself earpods"
Apple is not concerned about being green. They are a publicly owned company so it is all about profits and the bottom line.
Chargers use to come with the new phone you buy and Apple broke it up and sold it as an extra ...There excuse was "it was to save the environment by not adding a charger everyone had"... The only problem was they switched to USBC and everyone still had to buy it adding to extra packaging waste & making a big profit for something that was free to begin with.. SO no Not about the Environment about profits...
Problem no 1: They don't care they just want you to pay for a charger
Why you lie?
@@BIGD39hki Not a lie.. Chargers use to come with the new phone you buy and Apple broke it up and sold it as an extra ...There excuse was "it was to save the environment by not adding a charger everyone had"... The only problem was they switched to USBC and everyone still had to buy it adding to extra packaging waste & making a big profit for something that was free to begin with.. SO no Not about the Environment about profits...
@@trainsplanesandotherthings5187 cant you just use the same charger you used with your old phone? *unless switching to usb c
@@trainsplanesandotherthings5187 It came with wired headset once upon a time...
@@trainsplanesandotherthings5187 No charger comes with the other phones either. Keep trolling bro
There's zero need to upgrade a phone yearly. The upgrades now are paltry. Most consumers should be looking at a 3 year cycle, if not 4.
I’ve switched to 4 years for my phone. Went from iPhone 11 to 15 pro max and that too came out my craving for a new phone. The 11 still runs like a champ.
Got to agree with you there. My iPhone 12 is still going strong nearly four years later. It could use a new battery but doesn't NEED one.
Why hasn’t anyone done a thorough exposé on how Apple’s removal of the iPhone charger made things worse for the environment than when the charger was included?
Has CNET even heard of Fairphone???? This was the perfect video to talk about how Fairphone is making phones that are long-lasting, sustainable, fair, user-repairable and so much more! They even released some new repairable earbuds like a week ago!
Fairphone doesn't pay CNET, so it is never mentioned. No free publicity.
This is just about (defending) Apple
I've been saying this for some time: software > hardware. Now with flagships having 7-8 years security and os updates, hopefully way more people won't feel the need to upgrade every year.
Im on iphone 6 watching this
Will you trade that for my 15+?
Damn dude I might actually recommend upgrading in this instance lol I don’t think you’re even getting security updates anymore
.....written on iphone 15.
Hated giving up my iPhone 5…best iPhone ever imo!
My phone is a Motorola Razr V3 bought it 20 years ago still works great, just 3 new batteries and I am fine.
Remember back in the days where you could take out the battery and put a new one in less than a minute? Apple obviously doesn't care about the environment!
EU is luckily bringing this back.
@@stratos7755 - I really hope that. :-)
Phones were much less premium then though 👎
I missed that too but watter proof is very important too.
@@Dreamers12 You can have replacable batteries while being water resistant.
Smartphone's operating systems should be able to be upgraded easily and for many years similar to windows computers. User replaceable batteries and SD card slots to expand storage will also help keep phones in use longer.
I hate how they got rid of the leather cases. Now they made a bunch of lower quality cases that will all certainly go to waste because of the lack of demand. Hope the tax cut makes up for it.
What you talking about , you can get case from any site online Amazon ,eBay ,Temu
What tax cut did they get for phasing out leather products?
@@SenKyrstenSinema the Inflation Reduction Act that Biden passed has a system in it where it gives large corporations tax credit for taking actions to “reduce their carbon footprint”. It’s a load of nonsense because it causes companies to do stuff like remove leather as an option, which doesn’t really help the environment that much anyways.
@@SenKyrstenSinema the inflation reduction act gives tax credits for large companies to “reduce their carbon footprint” which really means just worse products.
iPhones are built to last a lot longer today than they were ten+ years ago. I’m still very comfortably rocking my 11 Pro with just a battery swap last year to keep it running like a champ. That’s gotta count for something.
That’s less than half what they could do. For example, to change a cracked screen or back of an iPhone, it cost more than 50% of the iPhone price. So you can’t blame a customer to buy a new iPhone. Apple should make the service more affordable and accessible for any repair technician.
I mean, the video pretends that making a new iPhone every year means everyone’s replacing their iPhone every year, despite Apple giving all their phones produced as late as six years ago the latest software updates. So yeah, it’s kind of weird to go nuts on Apple for making an effort to decrease their footprint when the world is full of cheaply produced phones with zero longetivity beyond their initial release year and production and transportation that is cheaper and has a much higher impact than Apple’s. But I guess the video about Honor, Xiaomi, OnePlus, or PocoPhone wouldn’t get as many clicks as this one.
@@Aiii83 man, the companies you mentioned have one thing on common, they’re not American companies. I believe CNET is an American media outlet so it’s more logical to reference companies from the same region. Also, keep in mind that Apple itself claim it did so and so to save the environment. So the media criticism is only a response to Apple’s marketing claims
They are probably going to drop it eventually like Starbucks and their goal of sustainability
I’ve had my Finewoven case since November and still looks good and love the feel 😅
We had a solution replaceable battery
They're set to come back according to the EU!
Going to buy that compostable case right now, been living with my 15 pro max without a case since launch
Their “Green Goal” is actually you Money 💵
Very true - my iPhone 12pro will be 4y old in September. Got the battery replaced last autumn. I guess it will well keep serving me for another year. Speed no problem so far. I do the same thing with my car, sofa, heck even clothes (as long as they look decent).
watching this on an IPhone SE (1st Gen)
compostable cases are a no brainer. I have one from pela, it holds up well 2 years plus and then you can compost it. I wish it made more cases for apple products like ipads and MacBook .
the only Green Apple wants is your MONEY
And somehow that’s different from other companies 😂😂
Make release frequency lower? No, That would encourage repairs by incentivizing buying the next one over a part (usually a screen and glass panel) that is almost equally expensive
This one is a refreshing take on the Apple's "Green" Goals. Though there are couple of considerations. 1. The market favors for convenience. Even so when we have the chance to revive our old devices, the newer and shinier ones will always be more appealing to get rather than keeping the older ones. (also worth mentioning the status symbol behind getting newest device) 2. Based on statistics, consumer are 66% more likely to purchase sustainable products. Now as good as it sounds, the question becomes: Do then the company actually strive for sustainability or it's another mere greenwashing for bigger profit margin? 3. If a company is a profit based, then they're always gonna be striving to get bigger numbers (Capitalism). So, who's actually responsible here? I'd say arguably the bigger part of it is us the consumer. If we can educate ourselves to be a conscious consumer (meaning actually being skeptical of companies' "Green initiatives", not only specifically done by Apple but other companies too!) perhaps, just perhaps there would be a better outcome on how we're dealing with waste and achieving real Sustainability goals.
I simply resist the temptation to upgrade often. I happily used my iPhone 7 Plus for a long, long time. I finally replaced it with a 14 Pro Max last year, reused the chargers I have, and traded in the old phone for recycling. To me that helped the environment more than these funky cases and bands that don't work well. Buy a case and band you like and use them for a long time.
"The Core Problem of Apple’s Green Goals" said the women own newest or almost iphone model while in the video she claimed Apple to make the phone last longer. I really think the back glass panel really suck, they can just make a glass area for wireless charging and the rest can be aluminum or "titan". In this case we don't have to replace the back panel as much and of course greener.
I miss the aluminium too, would probably also help with heat dissipation
@@marcelleuenberger4648 right. And the heat distribution too. I hate the back glass. Hate it so much, one drop and you’re out of couple hundred bucks and don’t tell me use cases because it makes the phone larger in three dimensions, hotter and uglier.
Imo its not pretty, Nike could have simply painted over the recycled material, but for some reason they didn’t?
Mrs. Columbo, you are right about apple phone case. I learn something from your videos.
The last time I used Skullcandy was in 2008, It was pretty bad since the plastic couldn't bear the heat of an Indian summer literally turned to mush.
6:02 👍
A big part of why I bought an iPhone was the recycling program and prior experience suggesting the device will last years -- I had Androids that just never held up.
These devices are not consumables, they are something that people use in their everyday lives. Would have loved to see power consumption as a consideration when highlighting whether to keep or replace. I would imagine the daily power consumption of products is non negligible. Great video as always
Use steel. Easy to melt and reuse Ultra strong
Apple does not care about the environment. I have an old 2012 27" imac that would be perfectly usable for web browsing but has been blocked from any os updates for years now reducing it to e-waste. They recycle some small percent of material then force an entire computer out of service. Slimy.
Remember the razr, windows xp, old digital camera, and etc. Keep technology longer right if campiness stops supporting technology and forces customers to upgrade.
Ah I see what you did there; as Americans people don’t like cores of apples even though its completely edible so therefore it’s a fundamental issue to ignore or make it as attractive as possible I prefer honeycrisp apples over green
I grew up thinking it couldn’t be eaten. I learn something new everyday! I hope you have a good day stranger!
As apple products are expensive in singapore. Thats why samsung n other Android device is doing good now.
So I try really hard to extend the life of all the products I have and make sure to buy Like New or Good from Amazon to give a product a second life. I have had a really old MacBook, and have replaced the battery on multiple times, the charging cord has failed at least 4 times, I have replaced the fan and upgraded the as much as I could. I still use an iPod classic and Nano...for music,. Recycling at Best Buy is the way I recycle, I am not sure what happens to it once they take it. My phone is a 2018 model and so is my Garmin watch. I also have been adding cricut vinyl stickers to cases to extend the life and make them into what I want.
I have a iPhone SE 2 refurbished
I always sell my older iPhone to help pay for the new one, when I do upgrade which isn’t every year
This video changed my mind of getting new phone 😄
Being for the environment is first and foremost not trying to push new crap and try to preserve existing products as long as possible
Watching this on my iPhone 3 GS
3:15 pela case is mostly fake...
Keeping devices longer is the best solution as well as repair. Apple doesn’t make money that way though that’s why they serialize parts and drop support for certain devices early even if the device is capable of running the new iOS without any issues.
I would very much like to see batteries that are much easier to replace.
I think the direction is right, but reality fall short. Made with 25% recycled aluminum reminds of back when Tobacco company said there cigarettes had 40% less tar.
E waste from phones is nothing compared to the amount of disposable vapes that are guaranteed to be thrown away with rechargeable batteries and even screens now
I think apple is best company as their old phones still work smooth as they were first came out.
I try to help the environment by updating my phone on every sixth iteration. For example now I have an iPhone 12. My last iPhone was six and my next one will be 18
The best way is to make the product more repairable n durable.
“What am I doing with my old phone?” Well I’m still using it. If my last one didn’t break then it be 9 years old.
Bought my iMac in 2018 (it's a 2017 model w/Intel). It's 27" - a nice big hunk of aluminum. It cost me near $2K and they will take it back for $175 in perfect condition - really? Mind you, probably lots of updated machines on the market - but none this size without spending a bigger fortune. There should be more of an incentive to return this than $175. Thanks.
Apple is no longer has new customers but a constant stream of users that buys into the Apple ecosystem etc, the ecosystem in general is not eco centric, but this Apple Green Goals malarkey is just there way to subsidise unnecessary spending. Imagine you can swap the battery on the iPad also and MacBook, there was a time where you can unscrew the products and safely pick it out and then add a new battery and your battery check warning light was back to normal. Enjoy your weekend Bridget. Take care
Apple just do it better than others👌🏻👍🏻🙏🏻
Make devices easy to repair, earn on parts and service. There isn't better way to reduce your material use and emissions.
Honestly if smartphones have a replaceable battery like the old nokia phones...an average person could get by with just 1 phone for at least 5 years or more (in my case)
Apple should allow old devices that are no longer updatable to be completely jailbroken so developers could make alternative OSes that keep the device useful. I still have a 1st gen iPad that I like to use as a weather dashboard but since there are no updates to the OS, most apps dont work including web browsers because they cant update their security certificates. Also, no mention of their lawsuit they dropped from the company who was supposed to be recycling and ended up selling the products instead? Apple literally sued a company for keeping their devices useful instead of landfill waste, then dropped the suit because of optics.
They save money and charge you more 🤗
If you got phones in your drawer go and sell them lol, extra money helps better than just making it sit in a drawer.
I’m just here to see her
I upgrade every 2 years and always trade in my phone so it can go to someone else for cheaper. I think that’s the best way to
Metal watch bands are much better than these recycled plastic bands! I’m still using the band I got when I bought my first Apple Watch now on my third watch and will carry it forward on my next! As far as chargers Apple should offer a discount when returning it and offer battery recycling at there stores. Otherwise all they are doing is Green Washing!
Let's save the planet by not including a charger. But still changing the charger connection so you'll still have to buy it. Except separately and in it's own packaging.
Proposal: After OS support ends for a mobile device, Apple (and other manufacturers) should be required to allow users of older devices to install alternative operating systems to extend the life of devices. Chrome OS Flex (and other Linux distros) that are available for old computers can extend the lives of the device sometimes upwards of 10 years which can be a huge win for the planet. The ability to install other operating systems is a standard feature for laptops but not for mobile devices. This should change.
Why the green on the red?
I bought a use iPhone and a pela cases 😊
Apple should make the iPhone a subscription model. Way better than buying the device. You always get the newest device and don’t have to pay 1k to get a new phone. Would make premium phones way more acceptable
good Job
I don’t use a cover since 2014, like, why to hide what was made to be displayed? 😉 Also I hold my iPhones for 4-5 years (iPad even longer), and then give them away to someone upgrading their even-older device. Still not ideal but it’s my 2 cents to help I guess 😕
The only great way to reduce this, is keeping your phone longer. And companies needs to provide software updates for many years.
It turns out I'm still using my old tech.
AWW COME ON! Us Gen-X watched Captain Planet too... okay, you win Bridget, I don't have that ring... :D I have been trading in my old iPhones over the years and hopefully for the right cause. I did try battery replacement for my non-Apple smartphones back in the days, but the software updates were causing the phone to slowdown as the processor could no longer keep up. I feel that if there's a way for consumers to replace only parts that need to be replaced, i.e. better modularity in phone designs, then it would be a much more effective way to minimize waste and staying green. That may result in all our phones looking like Lego bricks, but if it's for saving the planet, why not? Come on Apple, partner with Lego!
Most of the phones traded back to Apple get dumped into landfills lol
phones should work perfectly for atleast 50 years🤔
Imagine carrying around your iPhone 3G for the next 40 years.
@@PleeseCallMeDan i said perfectly
Brave pointing. All goes to our inner contradictions. Make people question the supply chain... The amount of human suffering (cobalt)
Yeah It's about profits..otherwise your wouldn't have Planned Obsolescence... Phones that still work but no new FW updates making Apps not compatible...
I don’t see a problem with recycling and prevention waste from polluting our environment, however apple should have been more careful about recycling a product that has potential for future technology and advances to improvements.
Leather accessories are way better so I get no choice but to buy a cheaper option from third party.
That battery percentage on the iPhone is never the correct one lol, please emphasize people on how to get the correct percentage from the analytics or share the shortcut of how to get the real number 🤦🏻♂️ at least the cycles are shared on the iPhone 15 line up and future ones but not on older versions
The biggest issue is activation lock. If an iPhone or iPad isn’t deactivated from the iCloud then it can’t be given to someone else. It’s there to deter thieves. I get it. However, if a relative passes away and someone wants to use their old iPhone. They can’t. It’s locked. If a school has 100 iPads that are given away then they just have to be binned unless they are unlocked. The same with company phones or the like. Millions of usable products becoming ewaste because of activation lock. Maybe there could be a process of some kind to lock devices that were just left. If they are not literally marked as stolen from a user then maybe an unlock request could be made. If it’s not marked as stolen or lost then after 30 days it’s unlocked and erased. Just a thought. However, Apple is probably more concerned with image than releasing millions of locked devices.
Im using an iphone 13 pro max and will continue using it for the next 2 years. I never understood people who upgrades smartphones every year only for some small new changes. Smartphones are not ment to be used for 1 year only and we should stop wasting so many resources for no reason at all.
Daisy is cute, it does 200 phones an hour but let’s look at the numbers. Apple sells approximately 40 million phones in a quarter. The math just doesn’t add up.
No one will need a iPhone is six years ,Things moving fast ☕️
Recycling is a significant part of the answer. However, each individual person is necessarily voting with their wallets as we are being pushed closer and closer to the edge by said massive, wealthy companies. They should make eco friendly products and sell them for less than not so eco friendly products. If they really cared about the environment they would take less profit from the products they produce and sell them at prices that incentivize consumers to buy them. Not trying to convince us to pay more for products because it will "save the planet."
Only Apple customers are willing to spend $50 or $60 on a case. A normal case costs $20 or less.
Buy used. Backmarket Swappa eBay etc
Can someone explain GenZ, GenX, Millennials and boomers?? 🤷♂️
So the problem is trying to make the stock go up, and profits up? 🤔how was that called? 🤔.
capitalism
Batteries are designed to die out sooner and because of iOS upgrades and forced internet and app updates users are forced to get new devices that only work with the above said updates…while all along there is almost no improved functionality.
It's also crucial to separate environmental damage from "climate" issues. (The "mother nature" carbon neutral video was cringe.) Note that American CO2 emissions dropped from 5.94 gigatons in 2000 to about 5 gt today because of the increased use of clean, natural gas thanks to fracking which is not completely "carbon neutral" but works and keeps energy costs down. Also, some of the most serious environmental and human damage is caused by mining cobalt, lithium and rare earth elements in Africa, Latin American and Asia. I like to keep my devices longer, so this is a good point. And we should commend Apple for looking for less wasteful ways to produce products. Apple does need revenue to invest in new product development, so I understand the yearly new iPhone/etc release cycles. But unlike skeptics, I see Apple's long-term path ahead, especially as a major player in healthcare, as both profitable and making incredible contribution to humanity!
If only everyone had a internal bs meter.. their decisions are based on maximizing profits and that's not good for you and i
IMO Apple software support is completely overrated. In reality, Apple holds back heaps of software features to try to encourage users to upgrade. E.g. Apple never brought Smart HDR or Night Mode to older iPhones unlike Google with HDR+/Night Sight. Similar Samsung brought their Night Mode/Nightography to older Galaxies. Unfortunately Google seems to be copying Apple's software feature segmentation nowadays
Logistics...logistics isn't even mentioned and something these large companies simply hide to keep you "conscious" consumers unaware of. Everything is made and assembled somewhere, and has to be transported in large and small scale to get to consumers. Either by truck, train, plane, cargo ship, or a combination of them all, is how each and every single phone, tablet, watch, watch strap, protective case, computer, etc etc make it to consumer homes. Every one of those forms of transportation requires fuel and emit co2 emissions. But since that technically isn't part of the assembly process, companies don't include those emissions in their marketing strategy of claiming "carbon neutral."
Bro who wrote the script for this video? ChatGPT? There's so much more that could've been said, but they resulted in complaining about the Apple watch band feeling icky and earbuds not charging?
Do you really believe Apple would care about the environment MORE than profit?
Can’t get enough of your regular dump on Apple screed! What are other companies doing that come close to what Apple has done for the environment? Also how smart is it to upgrade your phone every year just because there’s a new one - and yes, I know some need to have the latest greatest. but I believe most new iPhones are bought by People who haven’t upgraded in a while, or switchers from android. i’ve been using my Apple Watch four even though we are at Apple Watch nine. It did pretty much everything I needed to do and Apple supported iOS on it right up to today. I recently bought a remanufactured Apple Watch seven, and it’s wonderful. I’m guessing I’ll keep it for four or five years, depending on what Apple does in the future.
🙌
Chargers use to come with the new phone you buy and Apple broke it up and sold it as an extra ...There excuse was "it was to save the environment by not adding a charger everyone had"... The only problem was they switched to USBC and everyone still had to buy it adding to extra packaging waste & making a big profit for something that was free to begin with.. SO no Not about the Environment about profits...
I’m a huge Apple fan girl but I’m all for Apple spacing out releases and releasing fewer products. What they’ve been doing is not greenwashing, but it could be said to be Green marketing. At its core, Apple is still a capitalist, profit-driven company. They’d only paint themselves green if it’d benefit their stocks.