Being someone who loves taking advantage of technology and also caring about the environment, I was pleased when Apple released the iPad Environmental Report. I always wonder what the environmental impact of my gadgets have. Are they better or worse on the environment? Can we recycle more parts of electronics or is it better to use pen, pencils, paper, …? To summarize what iPad’s carbon emissions is in comparison to paper books, the equation breaks down to:
- 1 iPad = 17.4 physical paper books
- 1 iPad = infinite paper, pens, pencils, …
In market research, by using an iPad to administer surveys, there is an obvious reduction of resources. An important purpose the majority of companies share, is to show the necessity of environmental protection. We’re seeing many companies making use of mobile device applications and saving the resources that were once used by these companies.
The iPad is free of BFRs, BFR, arsenic, and mercury, which basically means brominated flame retardants -> *“have known toxic properties, are highly resistant to degradation in the environment and are able to bioaccumulate (build up in animals and humans).” In addition, the iPad is *“highly recyclable,” and has a PVC-free system, and this just means it’s free of polyvinyl chloride, a chlorinated plastic that *“presents environmental problems and human health concerns throughout its lifecycle,”.
Hopefully, this will help you appreciate that Apple has done its part to make the iPad environmentally friendly.
*Greenpeace
