Apple Cuts Off Chargers in iPhone 12 Packaging to Save The Planet

This initiative still leaves room for skepticism

The new iPhone 12 packaging does not include earbuds and a wall charger. According to the tech giant, this move is intended to save the planet by reducing mining, carbon dioxide emissions, and packaging.

 

Apple has certainly received a lot of appreciation for this bold step. Indeed, E-waste is a growing concern for a big number of companies, especially those in the technology sector.

Back in July, the company had pledged to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gas. So, cutting back on chargers and earpods is a critical step that Apple has taken to become an environmentally friendly business.

 

But would selling iPhone 12 phones without chargers and earpods really change things environmentally? 

Of course, it is true that for Apple, this move may be profitable. You see, the new range of iPhones are expected to be 5G ready. This technology itself makes the new phone more costly than its counterparts.

So, cutting off the earpods and wall chargers in the packaging simply means that Apple can continue selling the iPhone 12 at a reasonable price point. Though, this may not change things in the bigger picture as many people may buy the wall chargers and earpods separately.

 

Let us say if only 10% of iPhone 12 buyers place an order for the wall charger and earpods separately, Apple is still going to make some profit from it. After all, not all people who buy the new iPhone 12 will have old chargers and earphones available for use.

Furthermore, since chargers and earpods/airpods sell separately, it means that there will be more emissions from separate deliveries and higher packaging waste. So, where does that leave us?

 

According to Apple, the new iPhone 12 box will be smaller because it contains lesser components. So, every pallet can ship 70% more boxes in every delivery, resulting in lesser delivery trips, and hence less tailpipe pollution.

However, stores only order the stock based on the demand. So, multiple deliveries of the iPhone 12 may still have to be made to stores based on the demand. Hence, in the bigger picture, this decision by Apple may or may not have a significant impact on the planet.