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Environmental considerations are an integral part of Apple’s business practices. Four areas of particular attention are product and packaging design, responsible manufacturing, energy efficiency, and recycling.

Product design
Reducing the environmental impact of our products starts with the product design phase. Design dictates the quantity of raw materials, type and recylability of materials, energy consumption required for manufacturing and use, and the ease of recycling. For example, our decision to eliminate Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) displays makes our product line much more environmentally friendly. Our flat-panel displays eliminate more than two pounds of lead, consume up to 80% less energy in sleep mode, and weigh half as much as their CRT counterparts.

Responsible Manufacturing
Apple plans to completely eliminate the use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), brominated flame retardants (BFRs), and arsenic in its products by the end of 2008. Apple helps to safeguard the environment — as well as consumers’ safety — by restricting the use of environmentally harmful compounds in our materials and manufacturing processes. For example, our restricted substances program limits the use of heavy metals and ozone depleting substances in our products and manufacturing processes.

Energy efficiency
Apple has made great strides in recent years to optimize the energy efficiency of our hardware and created tools, such as the Energy Saver feature in Mac OS X, that allow consumers to manage the power consumption of their computers. Since 2001, all Apple computers and displays have earned the ENERGY STAR® rating.

Recycling
Apple’s holistic approach to recycling — encompassing a product’s entire lifecycle — includes extensive take-back programs that enable consumers and businesses to dispose of used Apple equipment in an environmentally sound manner. Since our first take-back initiative began in Germany in 1994, we have launched programs in the United States, Canada, Japan, and throughout Europe, diverting over 34 million pounds of electronic equipment from landfills worldwide.

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