Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

22 views
Skip to first unread message

Jim Lynch

unread,
Apr 21, 2017, 1:32:13 PM4/21/17
to refurbishers
Apple released its Environmental Responsibility Report Wednesday to position itself as a progressive, environmentally friendly company. The big announcement was Apple's new moonshot plan is to make iPhones and computers entirely out of recycled materials. Behind the scenes, though, the company undermines attempts to prolong the lifespan of its products. Pretty interesting rest of the story compliments of Motherboard and Vice:

Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

-jim

Patrick Chezzie

unread,
Apr 21, 2017, 6:16:48 PM4/21/17
to refurb...@googlegroups.com

Apple’s practices are shameful. Seem to be following Trump’s lead on the environment. New linux programs hopefully will overtake Apple and Microsoft!

 

From: refurb...@googlegroups.com [mailto:refurb...@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lynch
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2017 1:32 PM
To: refurbishers
Subject: [Refurbishers List] Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

 

Apple released its Environmental Responsibility Report Wednesday to position itself as a progressive, environmentally friendly company. The big announcement was Apple's new moonshot plan is to make iPhones and computers entirely out of recycled materials. Behind the scenes, though, the company undermines attempts to prolong the lifespan of its products Pretty interesting rest of the story compliments of Motherboard and Vice:

 

Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

 

-jim

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "refurbishers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers...@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to refurb...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/refurbishers.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.


Virus-free. www.avast.com

Lou August

unread,
Apr 21, 2017, 7:06:25 PM4/21/17
to refurb...@googlegroups.com, Bud Rizer, AFTRR SC
Hi Jim,

This is a fantastic article!  I wonder if they could do similar research for the leasing programs of Dell, HP and other major PC brands?  Refurbishers strongly prefer getting identical equipment from corporations rather than one-offs from individual consumers.  Yet, corporations increasingly purchase their equipment on leases, which increasingly originate from the equipment manufacturers themselves.  Trying to get information on off-lease equipment is nearly impossible.  It's a "black hole" where nobody seems to know what happens to all that equipment -- and there is lots and lots of it!

There was even a major corporation that advocated on our behalf to give their off-lease gear to us, and was even willing pay the manufacturer for the residual value, but they refused.  No way.  Impossible.   After reading this article, it gets me to wonder if these "shredding" policies extend way beyond Apple and apply to most off-lease equipment too?  I wish somebody would investigate this, because most of these manufacturers position themselves as "do gooders."   And the real damage is not to the environment, it is to the poor kid in Detroit or Nairobi who cannot afford a new computer and used ones are generally not available.  Put a picture of that digitally-illiterate unemployed youth living in the slums your Corporate Social Responsibility Scorecard!

I disagree with the article in one area.  I don't believe preventing re-use protects a manufacturer's brand -- that's just the PR the manufacturers send out.  I believe someone calculated years ago the lost equipment sales that reuse represents, and manufacturers have been designing strategies ever since to re-capture this.  This includes creating low-end entry level products and a variety of practices to discourage reuse, in which shredding is just one of them.

Finally, in the context of all of this, I want to applaud Microsoft and their registered refurbisher program.   We only provide Microsoft Operation Systems on all our refurbished computers, partly driven by my desire to support that company, which has chosen to support us.

Warmly,
Lou 

Best regards, Lou

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "refurbishers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

Chris Martin

unread,
Apr 21, 2017, 9:33:44 PM4/21/17
to refurb...@googlegroups.com
I like Patrick's thinking!

On Apr 21, 2017 6:16 PM, "Patrick Chezzie" <pad...@rogers.com> wrote:

Apple’s practices are shameful. Seem to be following Trump’s lead on the environment. New linux programs hopefully will overtake Apple and Microsoft!

 

From: refurb...@googlegroups.com [mailto:refurbishers@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Jim Lynch
Sent: Friday, April 21, 2017 1:32 PM
To: refurbishers
Subject: [Refurbishers List] Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

 

Apple released its Environmental Responsibility Report Wednesday to position itself as a progressive, environmentally friendly company. The big announcement was Apple's new moonshot plan is to make iPhones and computers entirely out of recycled materials. Behind the scenes, though, the company undermines attempts to prolong the lifespan of its products Pretty interesting rest of the story compliments of Motherboard and Vice:

 

Apple Forces Recyclers to Shred All iPhones and MacBooks

 

-jim

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "refurbishers" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.


To post to this group, send email to refurb...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/refurbishers.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.


Virus-free. www.avast.com

--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "refurbishers" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to refurb...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/refurbishers.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

Information Technology Exchange 
156 Searsport Avenue, Belfast, Maine 04915
Confidentiality Notice: This communication (including all attachments) is intended solely for the use of the person or persons to whom it is addressed, and should be treated as a confidential communication of the Information Technology Exchange.  If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that any further use, dissemination, copy, distribution, printing or disclosure of the communication is strictly prohibited.  If you have received this communication in error, please notify the sender, return the original e-mail to us by mail and delete it from your system.  Your cooperation in protecting confidential information is appreciated.

Patrick Chezzie

unread,
Apr 25, 2017, 11:21:22 AM4/25/17
to refurb...@googlegroups.com

Makes me wonder if “right to repair” legislation will overturn Apple’s order to shredding policies. I too am a Microsoft refurbisher, but any Macs I get will be refurbished too!

--

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers...@googlegroups.com.


To post to this group, send email to refurb...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/refurbishers.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.

 

--

You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "refurbishers" group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to refurbishers...@googlegroups.com.


To post to this group, send email to refurb...@googlegroups.com.
Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/refurbishers.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.


Virus-free. www.avast.com
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages