Aluminum is a popular metal that is used in many tech products today. Apple is a company that uses the material extensively across its product lineup, like in the iPhones, iPad, Apple Watch, MacBooks, iMac, and so on. However, the manufacturing process of aluminum isn’t necessarily the most environmentally-friendly, but that has changed.
In a report from Reuters, it seems that Apple has purchased the first-ever carbon-free aluminum from Elysis, a joint venture between Alcoa Corp and Rio Tinto. So what does this mean? Typically in the manufacturing process of aluminum, carbon is used. However, with this new carbon-free aluminum, a conductive material is used in its place.
In addition to reducing the need for carbon, the production of this carbon-free aluminum also has additional advantages, where it actually produces oxygen instead of carbon dioxide. Given the millions upon millions of smartphones, tablets, and computers that Apple produces on an annual basis, the switch to carbon-free aluminum is a huge deal.
That being said, it is unclear as to what products Apple will be using this aluminum with and how much they have bought. Given that it seems to be a relatively new process, there is a good chance that not much will be available, plus Apple will probably also want to test it out in smaller batches before introducing it to their entire product lineup.