Apple’s new phones still aren’t eco-friendly enough

Opinion from

C. Scott Brown

Apple’s launch of the iPhone 12 series confirmed a rumor from months earlier: There won’t be an iPhone 12 charger in the box. If you buy an iPhone 12 in the US and most other countries, whatever the model, it comes with what you see in the picture above (and some additional documentation). That’s it.

During the iPhone 12 launch event, Apple made big changes to this change. Lisa Jackson – the company’s vice president of environmental, political and social initiatives – was seated on the roof of Apple’s headquarters to talk about how green the company is. In her words, removing the charger, as well as the wired EarPods that usually come with it, “reduces CO2 emissions and avoids the breakdown and use of valuable materials.” Box ”, which enables the company to put more products on a single shipping pallet and further reduce its environmental impact.

In all fairness, it seems pretty compelling to see Mrs. Jackson on the roof of Apple headquarters, surrounded by solar panels, and talking about how much Apple cares about the environment. However, Apple’s decision to remove the iPhone 12 charger and EarPods is nowhere near as environmentally friendly as it seems. It’s very likely that the change will end up making Apple more money, which makes the motivation for these changes a bit dubious.

First, let me explain why this big new change isn’t as big a step in the fight against e-waste as Apple envisions. Then I’ll talk a little about what Apple could have done instead.

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No iPhone 12 charger: a PR distraction

Apple is pushing the narrative that removing iPhone accessories in box is all about the environment. However, it neglects to mention a few other things related to this step:

• It still does the charger: The iPhone 12 charger is still there, it just isn’t in the box. Apple makes them and sells them for $ 19 each.
• Many current iPhone chargers don’t work: The cable that came with your iPhone 12 is a Lightning-to-USB-C system. This is not compatible with every charger that you received previously with another model of iPhone. The only exception is the iPhone 11 Pro / Pro Max. In other words, unless you’re upgrading from an 11 Pro, the only way to use the cable in the box is if you – you guessed it – a USB-C charger to buy.
• IPhone 12 can be charged quickly, but probably not with what you own: The iPhone 12 series can be charged at 20W with the right cable and charger. Apple will provide you with the cable, but not the charger. If you’re using an older 5W charger / cable from any other iPhone (or even the 18W system from the 11 Pro / 11 Pro Max), these 20W speeds won’t show up. To do this, you have to buy another charger from Apple. If you want to buy a third-party charger to give Apple the cold shoulder, it has to be “Made for iPhone” as part of the MFi program. Otherwise, your phone will be yelling at you for using uncertified hardware.

These three aspects of Apple’s decision to remove the iPhone 12 charger are not highlighted by Lisa Jackson on the roof of Apple’s headquarters. After all, it’s hard to argue that environmental protection is the rationale while charging $ 19 for a charger that was previously included for free.

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Ultimately, Apple just didn’t go far enough on the environmental front. While removing the charger and EarPods is a big step in the right direction, the hassle is hollow without going all the way. Here are two ways Apple could have done better.

Option 1: Transparent, but still not environmentally friendly

One of the biggest problems I have in this situation is Apple’s attempts to profit from it financially. First, the company saves money by not packing the iPhone 12 charger or Apple EarPods in the box. Then you’ll save more money by making the box smaller and spending less on shipping. Finally, additional revenue can be generated by selling the charger and EarPods separately for $ 19 each.

Don’t forget that the new MagSafe system can also charge your iPhone 12. There is also no MagSafe charger in the box. Buy one of these and get $ 39 back.

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All of this makes it seem like Apple’s motives don’t concern the environment at all. The easiest way for Apple to avoid this is to offer the charger and EarPods for free through an aftermarket system. If the company managed to go to an Apple store with your iPhone 12 and get a free 20W charger and set of EarPods, that would remove the implication that Apple could benefit financially from that decision. Not every iPhone 12 buyer would do this without exception. This, in turn, would have the effect Apple wants: the creation of fewer chargers and headphones. At the same time, the move appears to be more environmentally conscious than a way to get an extra $ 40 from customers.

Of course, this is still not as environmentally friendly as it could be. The chargers are still in production. They also need their own packaging and must be shipped from China to the rest of the world. The environmental impact is still there.

For Apple to really stand up for the environment, it needs to take more drastic measures. It would have to make iPhones compatible with everything else.

Option 2: Transparent and environmentally friendly

While the above option removes the financial incentive for Apple to remove the iPhone 12 charger, it would only partially help the environment. The cables and chargers would still have to be created, and the compatibility issues with Lightning-to-USB-C would still be there. In order for the company to truly make the iPhone greener, it has to do what environmentalists have long called for: remove the proprietary Lightning connector and go all-in on USB-C.

Yes, USB-C is still a mess in a system. However, USB-C is still better than Lightning because every cable fits into every USB-C device and does the bare minimum: deliver power and transfer data.

Connected: Hey Apple, now would be a great time to get rid of Lightning and get started with USB-C

The European Commission has long struggled to create laws that would prevent Apple (and any other company) from releasing products that require proprietary cabling. A single-cable solution is not only environmentally friendly, but also user-friendly. If you had a cord that could charge your phone, laptop, tablet, and e-reader regardless of the brand of any of these devices, wouldn’t that be far better than what we have today?

With most of the electronics industry currently using USB-C, Apple is the only big company with Lightning. If the company were to drop Lightning on iPhones, it would be a move towards sustainability that could never be confused with for-profit change. And hey, it’s already done it with iPads – what’s stopping it from doing it with iPhones?

The iPhone 12 charger is gone, but what’s next?

Let me conclude this by making something very clear: the core idea that Apple is removing the charger from the iPhone 12 range is a good thing in itself. Apple rightly says that it is better for the environment not to produce more chargers than necessary. Android OEMs are poking fun at Apple right now, but we (and you) know it’s only a matter of time before they remove the charger from their own phones as well. Apple and other OEMs may not do this because it is the right thing, but at least they do something. Apple should be commended for its pioneering role.

However, there is still so much Apple (and any electronics manufacturer) could do. Removing Lightning and other proprietary connectors would be a big step in the right direction. Government mandates that require electronic OEMs to only use one type of system would be great too. More ubiquitous recycling systems would be great as well as better and cheaper access to repairs (something Apple has repeatedly blocked) and longer software upgrade cycles. Its a lot to do.

Connected: To solve the problem of e-waste from smartphones, we initially need fewer single-use devices

Now, however, my concern is MagSafe. The next big step by Apple could be to simply remove the Lightning connector from future iPhones and use MagSafe as the charging / data transfer solution of the future. That would of course take us back to where we started: Apple has a proprietary platform that nobody else has. One that needs to be built and shipped for the basic functionality of the phone.

The bottom line is that Apple or any other electronic OEM is unlikely to do what’s right for the environment on their own. Apple had an opportunity to take huge strides here, and for some reason it didn’t. Despite its literal rooftop stance, Apple’s profits seem to end up outbidding concern for the environment.