Apple Products Now Contain 30% Recycled Materials. Their Packaging Boasting Zero Plastic
If you bought a product from Apple last year, it probably contained a higher amount of recycled content than ever before. In case you didn’t know, you can recycle all of the company’s fiber-based packaging as it has eliminated all plastic use.
Apple continues to set a course for carbon neutrality by 2030, reaching new climate milestones across kits, recycling and water use, according to its 2025 Environmental Progress Report.
A record 30% of the products the company shipped last year contained recycled content. Apple also uses 100% recycled cobalt in its batteries and 100% recycled rare earth elements in its magnets.
Newly introduced MacBook Neoin particular, it is a point of pride for the company. It has the highest recycled content and lowest carbon footprint of any Apple laptop — and more the most customizable MacBook in years.
“These milestones in our mission to protect the planet show that ambitious goals can be powerful engines of innovation,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement. “And as always, we will continue to strive to improve this progress even further.”
As climate continues to grip the world, creating unpredictable extreme weather conditions, it is imperative that the world’s richest companies do their part to reduce, and eliminate, their impact on the environment. Using more recycled materials reduces the depletion of the earth’s natural resources, protecting the environment and the local communities that depend on it. But ultimately, the most impactful change any company can make is to end the greenhouse gas emissions that are causing our planet to rapidly warm.
Apple’s 2025 report showed that last year, the company reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 60% compared to its 2015 baseline. Apple is working to achieve carbon neutrality in all of its operations, including changing its entire value chain to clean electricity, by 2030.
This is an ambitious goal, for which Apple should be commended. Many companies choose to attach their climate and sustainability goals to futuristic timelines — the year 2050 is a popular goal — which is out of step with climate urgency and rapidly approaching end points. By committing to the 2030 goals, Apple should be willing to make changes to the way it does business now, rather than kicking itself into the long grass.
The company is already neutral in its business operations, but now needs to make progress in transforming its value chain. For aspects of its emissions that are difficult to completely eliminate — such as business travel that depends on flying — the company is committed to reducing carbon. To do this, it is buying carbon credits that support two projects — one in Guatemala and one in China.
Overall, the company is making great progress in reaching its lofty goals. In an ideal world, we would see Apple and other tech giants commit to proving that it is possible to go beyond carbon neutrality and net zero to become carbon negative. This is the best way to protect our planet for future generations.
