Apple has bought its first ever commercial batch of carbon-free aluminum for use in its products. This joint venture between two of the world’s biggest aluminum suppliers is the first big decision in helping move the iPhone maker closer to its greenhouse-gas reduction goal that they’ve been trying to achieve as of late.
Elysis, a joint venture between Rio Tinto Group and Alcoa Corp. backed by the Cupertino company, uses new technology that emits pure oxygen when producing aluminum. Apple has said in an environment report that 80% of its emissions from an iPhone 8 came during the production phase. The metal is also used in iPads, Macs and Apple watches.
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“For more than 130 years, aluminum — a material common to so many products consumers use daily — has been produced the same way,” Lisa Jackson, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives at Apple, said in an emailed statement.
Apple uses aluminum housings for many of its electronics, including iPhones, Apple Watches and Mac computers. Last year the company introduced Mac models that use recycled aluminum. The Alcoa-Rio joint venture wants to commercialize a technology by 2024 that uses a ceramic anode to make aluminum and emits only oxygen, eliminating direct greenhouse gas emissions from the smelting process.
Elysis also plans to manufacture the carbon-free aluminum at a CA$50 million research facility under construction in Saguenay, Quebec, which is slated to open in the second half of 2020, according to the report.
