Earth Day 2023: green or greenwashed? – The Verge

Apple commits to using more recycled cobalt in its devices

2023-04-14T12:51:15-04:00

Apple’s iphone dissasembly robot, Daisy. | Image: Apple

Apple has new plans to use more recycled metals in its devices. By 2025, the company plans to use 100 percent recycled cobalt in the batteries it designs. By the same date, it says magnets in its devices will contain entirely recycled rare earth elements. And circuit boards Apple designs will also be made with entirely recycled tin soldering and gold plating.

The tech industry has been under scrutiny for years for its hunger for mined materials, which inflicts harm on people and the environment. Apple and other companies have struggled with allegations of human rights violations along their supply chains for cobalt in particular, called "th …

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The massive recycling warehouse fire is a stark reminder: plastics are a pollution nightmare

2023-04-14T12:05:56-04:00

The smoking rubble of a plastics recycling facility in Richmond, Indiana. | Image: Wayne County Emergency Management Agency

A massive blaze at a plastic recycling facility in Richmond, Indiana, is a terrifying reminder that plastics are a pollution nightmare, one that recycling can't fix. The fire started Tuesday night at a recycling and resale warehouse, which officials described as six buildings filled from floor to ceiling with plastic waste.

"We're looking at close to 14 acres worth of plastic that's piled everywhere," Richmond Fire Department chief Tim Brown said at a press conference on Wednesday. "The entire complex is either burning or has burned."

A billowing column of black smoke hovered over the burning facility and the surrounding community. Some 2, …

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Chipotle plans to ditch gas grills at 100 new locations

2023-04-12T14:31:10-04:00

An electric grill at a Chipotle location in Jacksonville, Florida. | Image: Chipotle

Chipotle is switching from gas to electric grills at many of its locations as part of a plan to design more environmentally sustainable restaurants.

In 2024, Chipotle plans to open up at least 100 new locations that "utilize all-electric equipment," the company announced yesterday. The fast food chain has a goal of slashing its greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030, which is in line with what's needed globally to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement.

Gas stoves have been at the center of a fight to make homes and buildings less polluting. For decades, the fossil fuel industry has fed consumers "cooking with gas" campaigns - goi …

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This Earth Day, cut through the corporate climate hype

2022-04-21T18:30:00-04:00

An activist from the Extinction Rebellion (XR) climate change group, wearing a mask depicting Jeff Bezos, takes part in a protest outside of Amazon’s headquarters in central London on November 26, 2021. | Photo by TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images

With Earth Day around the corner, it's that time of the year again when companies start doling out sustainability pledges like candy. Unfortunately, some of those promises can be misleading. So, The Verge spoke with sustainability experts for tips on how to tell whether or not a climate pledge is legit. They also shared advice on what companies should aspire to if they want to have a meaningful impact on climate change.

It truly is tough to suss out stronger corporate climate pledges from weaker ones. Most companies just aren't transparent enough on what the climate commitments entail. And, even if there is fine print, it's definitely not f …

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Recycled plastic won’t solve tech’s waste problem

2021-10-06T11:45:49-04:00

A man collects garbage, including plastic waste, at the beach of Costa del Este, in Panama City, on April 19, 2021. | Photo by LUIS ACOSTA/AFP via Getty Images

Buying a gadget made with recycled plastic instead of brand-new materials might sound like an environmentally friendly investment, but it does very little to cut down on the heaps of plastic pollution and electronic waste that are trashing the environment and ending up everywhere - including in our own bodies.

Think of plastic pollution like an overflowing tub in your bathroom, says Josh Lepawsky, a professor at Memorial University of Newfoundland who maps the international movement of electronic waste. "If you walked into that, probably the first thing you would do would be to turn off the tap - not grab a bucket and a mop, if you think o …

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