APPLE has found remarkable Recycling success, and has set a goal of a 70% recycling rate for thru 2015.
Source: Apple
Since its birth, the mobile phone recycling industry has grown at a swift pace, with every new mobile phone available on the market causing consumers to recycle their old mobile phones. In general, the increase in awareness of mobile phone recycling has caused the industry to grow organically but the driving factor has, and always will be, the creation of new mobile phones. However, there are still many people who have their old mobile phones tucked away, allowing sufficient room for further expansion within the market.
The summer time often seems to bring around new mobile phones as the major mobile phone companies bring out their latest technological updates. The summers of 2007 to 2011 saw Apple release a new iPhone, the World’s Most Popular Smartphone, each year having substantial effects on the phone recycling industry. Also, in the past months of the current year the Samsung Galaxy Note, the HTC One and the Sony Xperia have all been released by their respective companies in order to give them a strong hold in the summer sales battle. This has caused a mass increase in the number of consumers looking to recycle their old mobile phones in order to switch to the updated mobile phone technology. On certain days mobile phone recycling sales have been as much as double the expected rate predicted according to industry specialists. This has been due to the high demand for the new mobile phone models which have all flew of the shelves, competing with each other with each offering its own unique features to appeal to different target audiences.
iPhone5 Anticipated Features
Also the rumor mill has started recently for the new iPhone 5, anticipated in the summer of 2012, with some bloggers suggesting the phone could be on shelves as early as June! This will also help contribute to the increase in demand for mobile phone recyclers as consumers anticipate the imminent release. Most industry experts are now predicting that the upturn in sales is likely to last throughout the summer as the iPhone 5 begins to have its true impact when the phone is released later in the year.
However, the actual effect the new iPhone will be hard to predict and understand until Apple reveals some of the new features which are to be incorporated. For example the new iPad brought little tangible change that was recognisable to the average consumer from the iPad 2, causing poor sales figures and therefore having a detrimental effect on the recycling figures.The new iPhone 5 however, will most likely bring lots of change due to the fierce competition in the mobile phone industry from companies such as Samsung and HTC. Many of the recently released mobile phones are boasting superior processors, better cameras and higher screen quality compared to the iPhone 4s which will force Apple to improve the iPhone 5 dramatically in order to regain its market leadership.
iPhone5 Anticipated Features
This summer is bound to bring many twists and turns in the mobile phone industry and only time will tell how these changes will impact on the phone recycling industry. The iPhone 5 could possibly be the key to the effects we see within the industry so for now we will have to play the waiting game for a release date and feature list from Apple before we can continue to make efficient predictions.
By using aluminum to create the cases for its electronics, Apple has made a significant contribution to its environmental sustainability goals. Apple adopted the use of aircraft-grade aluminum back in 2007 when Apple CEO Steve Jobs penned a letter pledging for a greener Apple. The company has found remarkable success thanks to the switch, achieving a 66.4 percent recycling rate in 2009. Numbers are still being calculated for 2010, but Apple has set a goal of 70 percent for 2010-2015.
Apple measures its recycling rate by calculating the total weight recycled in a given year and then dividing that by the weight sold seven years earlier. When Jobs first announced Apple’s sustainability goals, he said that the company would raise its recycling rate from 9.5 percent in 2006 to 28 percent in 2010. Needless to say, the company far surpassed its goals. Due to the high increase, Apple Insider reports that there are rumors that the next-gen iPhone could return to its original aluminum casing.
iPhone5 Rendering
The CEO of aluminum company Alcoa, Klaus Kleinfeld, told Apple Insider that aluminum is “infinitely recyclable,” and that 75 percent of all aluminum created since 1888 is still in active use today. Recycled aluminum requires a mere 5 percent of the energy needed to produce new aluminum, and the process produces 95 percent less greenhouse gas emissions. Alcoa is projecting a large increase in the amount of aluminum used in electronics, citing the company’s new 10 percent stake in e-waste collector Electronic Recyclers International as a reason.
When the iPad 2 came out, many questioned how green the product actually is. A lot of the discussion focused on whether or not iPad users would convert to reading all magazines and books on the reader. But given the benefits that Apple has found just from using aluminum in its electronics, it’s easy to see that Apple’s aluminum encased electronics are definitely greener than their plastic-covered counterparts.
Recycling raw materials from end-of-life electronics is the most effective solution to the growing e-waste problem. Most electronic devices contain a variety of materials, including metals that can be recovered for future uses. By dismantling and providing reuse possibilities, intact natural resources are conserved and air and water pollution caused by hazardous disposal is avoided. Additionally, recycling reduces the amount of greenhouse gas emissions caused by the manufacturing of new products. AWS has e-waste collection programs for home, neighborhood or office. Contact us and we will help you responsibly recover salvageable e-waste materials. It simply makes good sense and is efficient to recycle and to do our part to keep the environment green. 866-698-2874