Why This New Apple Logo Can Make You Feel Better About Your Gadget Upgrade

In its latest Apple event showcasing the next-gen iPhone and Apple Watch models, the company featured a short film starring Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer as "Mother Nature," grilling Apple execs — including CEO Tim Cook — about the company's commitment to protecting the environment. Apple was clearly going all out to show off its big push into decarbonizing its global supply chain.

Notably, Apple customers will be able to buy certain products that will be completely carbon neutral, helping offset a major criticism of frequently upgrading products like iPhones. This practice of replacing a perfectly good iPhone 14 for an iPhone 15, for example, has an impact on the climate not just because of the materials in the phone itself, but also the packaging and transportation of a new device to your front door.

Apple

Customers can now feel a little better about upgrading to Apple's hottest new gadgets — like the Apple Watch Series 9 and iPhone 15 — thanks to the company's commitment to making these products less damaging to the environment. The company is even employing a new "Carbon Neutral" logo to showcase its most climate-friendly products. The logo fits right in with Apple's overall aesthetic and consists of five green leaves arranged in a circle.

While Apple's global corporate operations have been carbon neutral since 2020, the company is looking to reduce its carbon emissions by 75% by 2030, including making all of its new products carbon-neutral by then. A large part of Apple's strategy is to use renewable energy sources for the electricity used in the manufacturing of its products across the globe. 

It's encouraging its manufacturing partners to commit to using green energy through its Supplier Clean Energy Program, which already has suppliers in 28 countries committed to bringing over 20 gigawatts of renewable energy online. 

In 2022 alone, Apple says 17.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions were offset, which is equal to the output of almost 3.8 million gas-powered cars. Additionally, Apple says it cut its overall emissions by over 45% since 2015 and is investing in other ways to help slow climate change, like utilizing new recycling technologies and designing its products with less carbon.

The new iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max are built with a 100% recycled aluminum substructure, 100% recycled cobalt in their batteries, 100% recycled rare earth elements in their magnets, and 100% recycled gold in their USB-C connectors and circuitry's gold plating. The devices are also completely free of mercury, beryllium, and PVC. Apple's packaging for the iPhone is similarly being redesigned to be more environmentally friendly, with 99% of new packaging being fiber-based. Apple plans to make its packaging completely plastic-free by 2025.

Apple is also totally eliminating leather from its product lines, including in iPhone cases and accessories, as well as Apple Watch bands. Instead, the company is introducing a new microtwill material called FineWoven. Some Apple Watch models, including the new Apple Watch SE, will also be completely carbon neutral when paired with certain watch bands. So if you're looking to upgrade your iPhone or Apple Watch, you can feel a little better knowing your carbon footprint won't be as large as it otherwise would have been before Apple's latest push for more climate-friendly products.