At its media event on Monday, Apple enthused about how 93% of its facilities globally are now running on renewable energy. However, the company’s eco-friendly mission is far from over, and you can help thanks to the launch of a new recycling scheme, Apple Renew.
Apple Renew: how it works
Announced just ahead of the iPhone SE and 9.7-inch iPad Pro, Apple Renew is pretty simple. If you have an old Apple device that you will no longer use, whether that’s an iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac or other device, you can – either in an Apple Store or through Apple’s website – hand over the device to Apple. The device will then be responsibly recycled or repurposed.
If the device you provide is an iPhone 4 or newer, iPad 2 or newer, or Mac released no earlier than 2007, Apple will – should a number of other conditions be met – give you an Apple Store Gift Card. If you have any other type of Apple device, you can still recycle it with Apple Renew, but won’t be eligible for a Gift Card. Still, you can, by giving a non-Shuffle iPod in an Apple Store, get a 10% discount on a new one.
Unique benefits of turning to Apple Renew
We think it all adds up to a pretty good deal. Contrary to what is frequently the case when an old device is sold, the price you can get with Apple Renew is not influenced by the device’s color or storage. Instead, the program, as Lifehacker phrases it, “sees your old iPhones and iPads as a sum of the materials inside.” This can make Apple Renew especially appealing if you’ve got a more basic model to shift.
Also, the in-store recycling option can be super-convenient if you’re within short traveling distance of an Apple Store; you can just drop in with your old device, hand it over, get your Gift Card and then put that towards a new device or accessory to return home with. You will also walk out of that shop with, as 9to5Mac has discovered, a “thank you” card with a web link to some “exclusive” eco-themed wallpapers – available in suitable sizes for iOS device displays ranging from 4-inch to 12.9-inch.
So, what will happen to your old device?
Though Apple’s keynote on Monday included a fun presentation about “Liam”, the iPhone-dismantling robot helping with its recycling responsibilities, it’s fair to say that not every gadget returned to Apple will be taken apart, whether by Liam or any other endearing automaton.
Brightstar, Apple’s partner for the online arm of Apple Renew, says that about 95% of all of the phones – not limited to Apple phones – it receives are “remarketed”. That means that your old device is likely to end up in the hands of someone else who will enjoy using it just as much as you did.