X

Apple updates site with environmental impact

Company gives users a detailed look at how its products affect the environment on its updated Web site.

Jim Dalrymple Special to CNET News
Jim Dalrymple has followed Apple and the Mac industry for the last 15 years, first as part of MacCentral and then in various positions at Macworld. Jim also writes about the professional audio market, examining the best ways to record music using a Macintosh. He is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CNET. He currently runs The Loop.
Jim Dalrymple

Apple on Thursday updated its Web site with a new section on how its products are impacting the environment.

Apple has made public information in several categories including Life Cycle Impact, Product Usage Impact, and Product Environmental Reports. The company also created a section dedicated to its own environmental updates.

Taking a look at the power management section will give you an idea of how extensive the information is that Apple provided. According to Apple, Mac OS X even regulates the processor in between keystrokes, saving power.

"Designing green products includes considering the environmental impact of the materials used to make them," reads Apple's Web site. "From the glass, plastic, and metal in our products to the paper and ink in our packaging, our goal is to continue leading the industry in reducing or eliminating environmentally harmful substances."

To show how things like packaging can affect the environment, Apple compares the 2006 13-inch MacBook to that of the 2009 13-inch MacBook Pro. The end result: "By reducing our packaging over 40 percent between 2006 and 2009, we ship 50 percent more boxes in each airline shipping container. That saves one 747 flight for every 32,000 units we ship," according to Apple.

The Web site features a lot more information including emissions per hour of product use, recycling efforts, and what the company has done to reduce energy in its facilities.