With the launch of the M4 Mac mini, Apple says it has reached a milestone in its overarching environmental goal of total carbon neutrality by 2030. The Mac mini is Apple’s first carbon neutral Mac to date, and it joins the carbon neutral Series 10 Apple Watch models.
The Mac mini is made from more than 50 percent recycled content overall, including 100 percent recycled aluminum in its enclosure, 100 percent recycled gold plating in its circuit boards, and 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.
Apple claims that the electricity that was used to manufacture the Mac mini is sourced from 100 percent renewable electricity, and the company says that its worldwide clean energy projects address 100 percent of the electricity that customers use to power their Mac mini devices.
Apple updated its shipping methods, and 50 percent of Mac mini computers by weight are shipped using non-air modes of transportation, like ocean freight, from the factory to their next destination. According to Apple, these changes have cut the carbon footprint of the Mac by more than 80 percent, and to make up the remaining emissions, Apple “applies high-quality carbon credits from nature based products” such as those from the Restore Fund. The Restore Fund uses funds from Apple and other companies to invest in carbon removal projects such as reforesting.
Mac mini packaging is fiber based, which Apple says brings it closer to its goal of eliminating plastic from packaging by 2025.
Back in 2020, Apple announced that it was committing to being 100 percent carbon neutral across its entire supply chain by 2030, with net zero climate impact for every Apple product sold. Apple plans to reduce emissions by 75 percent compared with 2015, while using carbon removal solutions for the remaining 25 percent of its carbon footprint.
Apple’s global corporate operations are already carbon neutral, and Apple has been making changes as it works toward hitting its 2030 goal.