ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

10 Task Performance 1

APPLE INC.

I. OVERVIEW

A. History
Apple Inc., originally Apple Computer, Inc., was the first successful personal computer firm, designing
and producing microcomputers. Steven P. Jobs and Stephen G. Wozniak founded it in 1976, and their
first computer was built in the Jobs family's garage. With its plastic shell and colors graphics, the Apple II
(1977) launched the firm to success, earning Apple more than $100 million by 1980, the year the
company first issued stock to the general public. The Macintosh was the first personal computer to
integrate a graphical user interface and a mouse, debuting in 1984.

The "Mac" had a difficult start, and Jobs left the business in 1985, but it finally found a home in the
desktop publishing sector. Jobs was recalled by Apple in 1997. By releasing more new products, like as
the iMac, he was able to return the firm to profitability. In 2001, Apple released iTunes, software for
playing MP3-formatted music, and the iPod, a portable MP3 music player; in 2003, the firm began selling
MP3-formatted downloads of big record label songs over the Internet. In 2007, Apple released the
iPhone, a touch-screen smartphone, then in 2010, the iPad, which brought a new market for tablet
computers.

Nature of Business
Apple Inc. designs, manufactures and markets smartphones, personal computers, tablets, wearables and
accessories, and sells a variety of related services. The Company’s products include iPhone, Mac, iPad,
and Wearables, Home and Accessories.

✔ iPhone is the Company’s line of smartphones based on its iOS operating system.
✔ Mac is the Company’s line of personal computers based on its macOS operating system.
✔ iPad is the Company’s line of multi-purpose tablets based on its iPadOS operating system.

Wearables, Home and Accessories includes AirPods, Apple TV, Apple Watch, Beats products, HomePod,
iPod touch and other Apple-branded and third-party accessories.

✔ AirPods are the Company’s wireless headphones that interact with Siri.
✔ Apple Watch is the Company’s line of smart watches.

Its services include Advertising, AppleCare, Cloud Services, Digital Content and Payment Services. Its
customers are primarily in the consumer, small and mid-sized business, education, enterprise and
government markets.

Mission
“To bring the best personal computing products and support to students, educators, designers,
scientists, engineers, businesspersons and consumers in over 140 countries around the world.”
Vision
“To make the best products on earth, and to leave the world better than we found it.”

Objectives
“To make great products and services that enrich people's lives and to provide an unparalleled customer
experience so that our users are highly satisfied, loyal, and engaged.”

B. Comprehensive Evaluation of Apple Inc.

Apple Inc. has a high level of consumer loyalty and brand value. Customers have related the company to
valuable, creative, and one-of-a-kind product creation ideas. However, as the company's worth has
increased over time, so have the expectations of its customers. The company must innovate in order to
maintain its market position.

iPhone is one of its products that has a significant environmental impact. It was not the first smartphone
to include a mobile Web, email, and a touch-screen user interface, but it was designed to be more user-
friendly than most. Apple's yearly revenue was $19.3 billion in 2006 before the introduction of the
iPhone, increasing to $24.4 billion in 2007 and $37.4 billion in 2008. iPhones have been Apple's major
source of income since 2008, accounting for 63 percent of overall sales in 2018.

With environmental issues in the focus, we are becoming more aware of the negative effects of our
throw-away culture's mountains of textile and plastic trash. Any of us are aware of the negative effects
of Apple's annual production of millions of iPhones and our seemingly insignificant behavior of
purchasing a new iPhone and storing our old one.

The primary issue with iPhones, and cellphones in general, is that they have such a limited lifespan.
Annually, Apple comes to the stage to introduce a 'better' version of an iPhone, and many consumers
will surely upgrade owing to a variety of factors such as contract expiration, brand loyalty, and physical
damage to their present iPhones. In fact, 45 percent of smartphone users would prefer upgrade than fix
their device, citing the high expense of repairs as the primary reason.

According to Apple, production accounts for 71% of its carbon emissions, while product consumption
accounts for only 19%. Although Apple is taking steps to reduce the use of toxic and 'critical' materials in
its manufacturing, and the latest iPhones use 100 percent certified recycled gold in the plating of their
logic boards, a closer examination of Apple's environmental reports reveals a trend of rising carbon
emissions associated with its product lines, which includes everything from raw material mining to final
assembly.

Scientists, environmental organizations, and climate activists have been campaigning for a shift in
consumer behavior and urging businesses to adopt ecologically responsible practices over the past few
years. While many iPhones are exchanged in and given a second life through Compare and Recycle, and
Apple is concerned about the environment to some level, every manufactured iPhone continues to hurt
the environment on a worldwide scale.

iPhones have the potential to be the most ethical cellphones because to Apple's resources. There is
presently no environmentally friendly method to purchase a new iPhone, but we can adjust our habits
and cling to the greenest smartphone available.
II. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Apple's consumer technology production causes massive environmental impact. The following questions
will assist us in determining the extent to which Apple Inc. has an impact on our environment.

1. How does extraction of minerals for iPhone affects environment?

2. What is the applicable environmental management program that helps Apple Inc. solve its mining and
disposal waste issue?
3. What steps is Apple taking to guarantee that can continue to protect the environment?

III. Alternative Courses of Action

1 ST Alternative Courses of Action
2 ND Alternative Courses of Action
3 RD Alternative Course of Action

IV. CONCLUSION/RECOMMENDATION

The best course of action among the provided alternatives in resolving the given statement of the
problem is “Proper Waste Disposal and Recycling” as it is applicable environmental management
program that helps Apple Inc. helps reduce mining and disposal waste issue. That can guarantee to
protect the environment.

According to an article in www.qz.com written on April 21, 2017 stated that Apple announced that it
plans to stop relying on mined rare earth minerals and metals to make their products, and instead use
only recycled sources. As the company wrote in its 2017 Environmental Responsibility Report “Can we
one day stop mining the Earth altogether? It sounds crazy, but we’re working on it”.

In today’s world, Apple expands the use of recycled materials across its products. According to their site
“Apple today released new details on the increased use of recycled content across its products. For the
first time, the company introduced certified recycled gold, and more than doubled the use of recycled
tungsten, rare earth elements, and cobalt. Nearly 20 percent of all material used in Apple products in
2021 was recycled, the highest-ever use of recycled content.”

To Apple, recovering more materials for use to their future products helps reduce mining. So, they
announced their newest recycling innovation a machine that is designed to help conventional bulk
electronics recyclers recover more materials which is to improve material recovery from traditional
electronics recycling. As they released this recycling innovation machine, they believed that they
pioneered innovations in the recycling and sourcing of materials to spur industrywide change.

Their recycling innovation exemplifies their company's significant efforts in becoming a carbon neutral
across its global supply chain and product life cycle, as well as having a progress toward reducing waste
and promoting the safer use of materials in their products, as detailed in their 2022 Environmental
Progress Report.

To this, the company’s progress shows their new ways for their consumers to take action to protect not
only the environment but also our planet.

V. MANAGEMENT LESSON LEARNED

We all love to buy a new Apple device. Apple has worked hard to persuade us that purchasing a new
Apple product is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is worth paying a premium for. We are confident
that most of us have relished the excitement of receiving a new iPhone or MacBook.

A modern smartphone includes around 63 percent of the periodic table's elements. Rare Earth metals
are particularly significant. A typical smartphone requires 16 rare Earth elements out of a total of 17 rare
Earth metals. The hidden reality of mobile phone manufacture follows an unsustainable path that
results in environmental degradation, human rights breaches, and behaviors that endanger both
ecological and human life.

Over the last several years, scientists, environmental groups, and climate activists have been advocating
for a shift in consumer behavior and asking businesses to embrace environmentally responsible
practices. While we see a lot of iPhones being traded in and given a second life through Compare and
Recycle, and Apple does care about the environment to some extent, each iPhone made has a global
impact.

Because of Apple's resources, iPhones have the potential to be the most ethical telephones. Although
there is no ecologically responsible way to buy a new iPhone at the moment, we can change our
behaviors and stick to the greenest smartphone available.