Apple’s Expanding Green Product Line

by Eric Wilson on March 19th, 2009

Several months ago Apple unveiled its new “green” MacBook. One of the aspects that burnishes its green credentials is an LED-backlit display which consumes 30 percent less power than conventional LCD displays. In addition it has the following features:

Arsenic-free glass
Brominated flame retardant-free (BFR)
Mercury-free
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC)-free
41% smaller packaging
Highly recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures

Apple recently added the Mac mini, the budget friendly desktop CPU (starting under $600 USD), to its lineup of green products. The Mac mini shares several green features with the MacBook. Both have been designed without many of the harmful chemicals that plague the electronics industry. Apple engineers removed “BFRs and PVC from circuit boards, internal cables, connectors, insulators, adhesives, and more” in the Mac mini. In addition, the casing is made from the same highly recyclable aluminum and polycarbonate as the MacBook. Both minimize their impact by decreasing the amount of fuel required to transport due to reduced packaging materials. According to Apple’s website, “the new Mac mini retail packaging is 31 percent smaller than the previous generation. In addition, the volume of the shipping box has decreased by 60 percent compared with the first-generation Mac mini.” This enables Apple to ship more units per container and keep waste out of landfills. The site also details the efficiency of the new Mac mini.

“The energy-efficient hardware components in the new Mac mini work hand in hand with Mac OS X to create a system that can dynamically adjust power consumption to reduce the energy used overall. The new Mac mini uses an advanced power management system leveraged from technology that makes the most of battery life in Apple’s MacBook family. This allows Mac mini to use dramatically less electricity — up to 45 percent less power at idle than its predecessor.”

According to Apple’s “Environment” page on their website, “every Mac we ship is ENERGY STAR 4.0 compliant, or better, as a standard feature.” Taking these steps has put Apple at the forefront of energy efficiency and green design. A company that has always taken risks and exhibited cutting edge design has now placed itself as the leader in green computing.

- Eric Wilson