Why the iPad Has to be Made in China
This post originally ran with Motherboard.
The iPad’s light, sleek, simple construction belies its complex origins. There’s a lot of stuff in the iPad: aluminum and glass, of course, but also other heavy metals and toxic chemicals. And manufacturing each 1.44-pound iPad results in over 285 times its own weight in greenhouse gas emissions. The manufacturing of and material used in the iPad are two reasons why the iPad must be made in China—and not just in the ways you’d expect.
Yes, labor is dirt cheap in China. Minimum wage was just $138/month at Hongkai Electronics in October 2010, compared to $1160/month in the US (based on a $7.25/hour federal minimum wage and a 40-hour work week).
And yes, environmental regulations in China are pretty minimal (though improving). China ranks 116th out of 132 countries on Yale’s 2012 Environmental Performance Index rankings. Even with all their illegally run coltan mines, the Democratic Republic of Congo is ranked many points higher than China.
But there’s another important reason why Apple and other manufacturers have their heels stuck in Chinese mud. iPad manufacturing, like the manufacturing of other electronics, requires a significant amount of rare earth elements, the 17 difficult-to-mine elements used in all kinds of green technology. It’s hard to say exactly what rare earths are in an iPad, since Apple is really tight-lipped about their materials—no one can even get them to confirm what manufacturer makes their impact-resistant glass, though I suspect Asahi.
Cambridge engineering professor Dr. Tim Coombs guesses that there may be lanthanum in the iPad’s lithium-ion polymer battery, as well as “a range of rare earths to produce the different colours” in the display. The magnets along the side of the iPad and in its cover (pictured above) are possibly a neodymium alloy. Electronics glass is often polished with cerium oxide. According to a Congressional Research Service report, worldwide demand for rare earths was 136,100 tons in 2010, 45-percent of which was for magnets, glass, and polishing.
All Our Rare Earths Come from a Pit Mine in China
Why is all this rare earth consumption a problem? China currently controls 95-97% of the world’s supply of rare earths and has repeatedly cut export quotas, sending already-high prices skyrocketing. Fearing dependence on China for rare earths, two companies—Molycorp in California and Lynas Corp in Australia—plan to begin mining rare earths this year. As green industry continues to grow, however, it’s unclear if current mining operations will be able to keep up with increasing demand.
Facing growing concern about the possibility of a rare earth shortage, President Obama recently lodged a complaint with the World Trade Organization against China about their rare earth policy. Some specialists think the complaint may be “too little, too late”—by the time China changes its policy, more manufacturers will have moved plants to China.
Recycling is Not a Rare Earth Solution
It might seem that the mountains of electronic waste would be a perfect source of rare earths. But recycling isn’t the answer to the rare earth shortage—at least not yet. Some Japanese recyclers are successfully recovering rare earths from compressors. But neither SIMS Recycling Solutions nor Electronics Recyclers International (ERI), the two biggest electronics recyclers in the US, are currently recovering any rare earths in their recycling process, according to SIMS president Steve Skurnac and ERI CEO John Shegerian.
For now, Skurnac says, “Rare earths come in very minute concentrations in electronic scrap,” which means that recyclers need high volume and super efficient processes to recover any reasonable amount of rare earths from electronics. The technology just isn’t there to make it economically feasible for most recyclers.
Today, an American electronics company can only be exempt from China’s rare earth export quotas by manufacturing within China. So that’s what most companies, including Apple, are doing. The only other solution is for us to stop consuming so much—an option that people rarely find appealing. Not as appealing as a retina display, at least.
Comments
After reading this article, my conclusion is “Think carefully are you need the electronic before you buy it”
You guys do such good work.
And we have Pentagon stockpiling to look forward to.
There is no real shortage of rare earths. There is also no reason it all has to come from China – other than economics. There are significant undeveloped deposits in both North America and Australia. The only reason they have not been used is because of the (previously) very cheap price of the Chinese source. Now that China has tried to use this for economic leverage things will and are changing.
Thank you for opening my eyes about rare earth metals. I used to volunteer for SIMS and ERI when they held computer and electronic recycling events in the NYC area. This is a great point to use against anyone who thinks of reuse as an afterthought and a “nice-to-have”. Reuse really needs to be a heavy and serious component in any recycling program.
If the rare earths are in a magnet, why not recycle the MAGNET material into a new magnet, instead of trying to reclaim the rare earth itself? Same for other materials where the rare earth is an essential but tiny part of the whole.
Hello! This is a very interesting article and I would like to translate it into Spanish, have I your permission?
Thank you very much.
Hopefully asteroid mining will alleviate this problem. But, it will take a long time to get there. What to do now? Not sure- but open pit mining is bad news environmentally, same with mountain-top removal.
The sad thing is we have plenty of rare earth minerals in North America, but a combination of market manipulation by the Chinese, and our own too often draconian envrio-regs have killed that tech-enabling industry. And American companies would be much more responsible to the environment than their Chinese counterparts.
This is what most people never want to find out since the design of the electronics they are buying are beautiful and extremely sophisticated. Also letting us know that we not only care for the design but also on how green this electronic is once in our hands ignoring the impact the production of this has on earth. However, it is a win for the financial markets where these electronics are going to be consume since they create so many jobs.
The main reason there isn’t more rare earth development in the U.S. is the same reason there isn’t more oil/gas development in the U.S. – EPA over protection of one part of the environment, the earth, over another part of the environment, humans.
I don’t think I need an iPad
This article highlights a concern when you consider the planned obsolescence which is a huge part of Apples business ethos. They plunder the environment for a product whic will be superseded within 12 months, and they plunder the environment again. But the majority of humans do not care.
I hope their Ipads can keept them warm and feed their families when the earth is a contaminated shrivelled ball struggling to sustain the 7 billion +,
Dear David Bush
I do not know if you fully comprehend the situation but Humans need the earth. Earth does not need the humans. Therefore it is vital Humans look after the Earth.
If we make the Earth a toxic swamp which kills us and 90% of life from this little planet, Earth will still exist and life will evolve to fill it.
So I for 1 thank the EPA for protecting the Earth aginst anmals like yourself. And I for one hope stongly that the United Nations will actially grow balls one day, dissolve the right of Veto from 3 meglomanic countries, and bring in true democracy and rules across the whole Planet.
All consumer products we have access to is nothing but crap. When the ipad1 was released there was already the ipad2 with the camera etc..
I think as a culture we have become too gadget
crazy–I’m a chief offender. I miss my old laptop
which suited me fine for years.
I didn’t by the latest Ipad. The only reason I have an Ipad is because it was a gift for an HVAC job.
I’m glad people are talking about China and Apple.
In the end–if you really want to reduce the carbon
in the atmosphere–use a condom–WE HAVE
TOO MANY PEOPLE ON THIS EARTH.
If you were an extraterrestrial, who would you thin out? We’re just a bad branch of monkeys.
We will eventually ruin this planet if we don’t stop
having babies.
Sorry–but I’ve wanted to say this for years.
There is a twinge of guilt laced in here in your piece which I find troubling. iFixit would not exist without electronics. And there’s nothing bad or wrong with humans using the earth’s resources to make our lives better. That’s what humans do. And that’s why we can focus on using electronics instead of merely survival.
In the end, it will all be swallowed up in glaciers, volcanic eruptions, meteor strikes and earth’s destruction from a red giant sun. The “mankind is bad” for mining a few rare earths during a tiny insignificant slice of earth’s history is just ridiculous. I’m happy to be alive now and to get to use technology. And everyone else should be as well. Shivering in a cave whilst breathing smoke from a wood fire is not cool.
You loose credibility when the heading Screams:”ALL OUR RARE EARTHS COME FROM A PIT MINE IN CHINA” and the paragraph states:” China currently controls 95-97% Granted that’s “most”. Aother statement, “Cambridge engineering professor Dr. Tim Coombs guesses “, and “are possibly a neodymium alloy.” causes me wonder if you are using scare tactics or if you even know what you are talking about?
The BS is so deep in here I need a bath to get the liberal stink off. Thank you MR. Obamy and let not forget Ex-President Bush for ruining it for us all. Oh, I almost forgot about MR. & Mrs. Bily Bob Clinton and what did he do with that cigar again?
it’s not impossible to start manufacturing again in the states, we just have to pay more ( a lot more) for our goods….on top of paying taxes and insurance premiums.
Waste of any kind is always a problem and yet we manage to recycle sewage waste into drinkable water because we have to, knowing it is a limited resource. The manufacturing process of any product should always be considered with recycling in mind. Manufactures should be forced to have a “circle of life” plan for the products they produce regardless of where they are made. If a product can’t be recycled or reused then find an alternative or don’t build it until the recycling issue is resolved in a responsible way. Every atom that goes into those poducts came from the Earth and we should find a way to put them back and not just by dumping it in a landfill.
Also we should keep in mind that our old devices will always be new to someone who has never had one. So when you are done with that product,if it works, pass it on and if it doesn’t find someone like me who repairs them using sites like iFixit.org as a guide.
Responsibility starts with you.
Thanks for reading my thoughts.
Solution:
We can all download Rare Earth from iTunes
YOU THINK THAT’S BAD”"”"
what about the news stories the mainstream media kept quiet for years, now that their left wing hero Steve Jobs is dead there stating to come out, the media is starting to expose the truth about Apple manufacturing plants. There were over 100 young 16 year Chinese girls (apple employees) who made a suicide pact to protest the 14-16 hour work days, and the management was forcing them to take Prozac, large amounts. They were being raped by the men in management. Apple had to remove all windows from the second floor and up at all their plants in china because the workers keep jumping out and committing suicide. they work them 14-16 hours a day for .12 cents an hour and only get one day off every 2 months. Think about that next time you fire that old mac book pro up.
How about Canada? It has Rare Earth minerals and is good at high tech manufacturing.
I don’t think I need a human,
and in due course I don’t need a world.
The average suicide rate in the US is twice that of the Foxconn factory – it sounds bad until you realise there’s over 1 million employees there. I just sold my 1st gen iPad for £230 so I don’t think you’ll find many of them thrown in the recycle bin. Also today I set up a six year old Mac as a server for a printing company – Dell servers are scrapped when they fall out of 3 year’s extended warranty, so I really think this picking on Apple as a bad company is unfair. Apple computers have a much longer lifetime than PCs and that is far greener than the most efficient recycling.
If the USA went back to the principle of the American System of National Banking and protectionism it could be the worlds leader in all manufacturing, with a high standard of living for all. Instead the American revolution is still in its infancy, since currently it is the traditional British Empire model of British Free Trade (Globalization) that is destroying America.
The shortage of rare earth metals is a fraud, they are not called “rare” because they are rare. The USA has enough Nuclear waste, if it was reprocessed to power the country for 800 Years, and in this waste there is millions of times the concentration of rare earths than found in the richest natural ores. Nuclear power would also solve the emissions problem of CO2, although Global Warming is Scientific Hoax.
@John – you say the average suicide rate in the US is double that of the Foxconn factory and that there are over one million employees there. There are over 300 million people in the US, so the Foxconn factory having half of the suicide rate of the US is VERY bad.
Macs lasting longer than PCs used to be true. Now that they are being more mass produced, they fail more often and sooner. This is coming from a Mac tech. Apple products nowadays are planned to be obsolete within a few years. It’s sad because Apple purports to be a green company but releases a new product every year that people HAVE to have.
I thought corning made the glass for apple iphone and ipads?
This is the one I am talking about:
http://www.corning.com/index.aspx
The U.S.G.A. has determined that there are ten years supply of rare earth elements in Afganistan.
I’ve read all the ridiculous and sane comments here and from what I read, recycling will not save the earth from humans. I am not a recycling fanatic nor am I anti-green. The truth is humans are not a danger to the earth from a geological prospective. Humans are insignificant to earth’s survival. That’s not to say we shouldn’t protect the atmosphere and health of the humans who live on mother earth. I suspect, from her article, that Elizabeth is a environmental fanatic. I never thought, when clicking through to read this article, that it would actually be an environmental argument since it’s from iFixIt. It’s really out of place for a tech audience and I suspect Elizabeth has used it to satisfy her personal feelings. There is nothing “rare” about rare earth elements on the earth. Just like diamonds, it comes down to economics. If environmental organizations want to save the earth and its atmosphere, then these organizations should move to and headquarter in China and India because that is where the real problem is now and will be in the future. Instead of rare earth materials prohibition maybe we should figure out a solution to population control since it’s the real danger to humans in the long run. The earth will clean itself just fine, including removing most of the destructive life from it. Earth itself doesn’t need our help.
smells like the author has an equity interest in rare earth miners.
You’re more than welcome to do that, Nade.
Great article Elizabeth. I’m a huge fan of Apple products, which is why I’m in favour of keeping on their case.
(are those social buttons at the top for sharing this article? – let’s see..)
But what about the old ipad is it any better.
Ron you misunderstand me, the yearly suicide rate in the U.S. is 118 per million of the population but there was only 18 deaths in the same period at Foxcon. So per head of population there are six times as many suicides in the US!
I too make my living supporting Mac users and it’s simply not true that they are less reliable these days. The iPad especially (which is what this article is talking about) will last for much longer since there is only a couple of buttons and no other moving parts. What’s more, for a reasonable price, Apple will swap them for a refurb unit when the battery dies. LED backlit screens last longer and new designs use so much less electricity that it’s probably greener to recycle a working G5 than to keep it running.
Leo, you said yourself that the iFixit audience shouldn’t be discussing environmental issues, in your case I think you’re dead right. You seem to be quite ignorant on the subject. Ask yourself why India and China are becoming the world’s worst polluters – it’s only because we outsourced production to them and they are mostly making the stuff for us in the West, not so much for themselves. You still can’t buy the new iPad in China.
Jeff B has it right – the Earth will not be around forever, the Sun will not last forever. I’m not saying trash the Earth now, but our actions over the largely insignificant time we have been on the planet simply alter climate change, not cause it. The climate will change regardless just as it always has, and only when our survival depends on it will we adapt (if we can).
Blah, blah, blah. You greenies need to grow up and realize that if you really had your way you wouldn’t even be able to read this.
You piss and moan about polluting the earth and global warming, oops, climate change…all on your smart phones and tablets, over the internet, that uses electricity, that comes from coal, that’s a natural resource. Should I go on?
Get a real life and do something productive on this earth. Otherwise practice what you preach and go live in a cave and leave us pro-humans alone.
Thanks for the new info. It makes me feel glad that I hold on to computers, upgrade part and other things before replacing them. Ipads look like a great device, but I haven’t convinced myself that it’s something I need yet. Smart phones however are tough not to have. But like most of my gadgets, I keep them until they crap out. =)
Well, if labor is so cheap in China as well as the raw materials readily available there, then I would expect that the Ipad 3′s price to be much lower than the set price of $699 for the 64 gb model.
Unfortunately Apple controls the price of their Ipads worldwide.
I don’t agree with you. Rare earth is never controled by China. The only reason is that rare earth is cheaper in China than in usa.
According to the second law of thermodynamics, never had we a way to put things back without entropy increment. So, we all just live our way death. If you were affordable, you can buy any ammount of iPads freely as you like, at least for thriving economy sack.
This isn’t just Apple/China, look up “Conflict Minerals” or “Three T’s Congo” to learn the alarming truth about our consumer electronic supply chains and how some of our products come from raw materials (rare earths) mined overseas by people who are forced into labor, including children, because militias control the mines and maintain authority through abuse/violence. Research this for yourself if you don’t believe me, but please educate others after doing so!
And the Chinese have entered into long term contracts for rare earths, metals and oils from around the world.
We’ll have to pay a premium to buy any.
These is after US based consulting companies told them how to do it.
Excellent information; I wish all this information shared in this page could be posted in other languages too because there is a lot of people from other nationalities who are buying Ipads.
It could be great if you posted this information in Spanish for start too. There are a lot Latinos who buy ipad in the market.
re:dudley dowrong … And I have been saying it–aloud–for decades. “We has met the enemy and they is US!” (old Pogo strip)
A “rare earth/strategic minerals” company of verifiable greenness is starting up right here in northern Minnesota. Human innovation history repeatedly shows a predilection for expediency : a rush to market with little thought of developing the idea(s) to an ultimate end result. “Where’s the $$ in that?”
It all boils down to population control. On Easter Island the population grew so large that they had to eat the young trees as food. Without the trees growing to maturity no dugout canoes could be made to harvest fish. The survivors (the rich I guess we would call them) were found dead in their blocked safe caves.) The products we make compete and deplete many of the same resources humans require to live (oxygen and carbon dioxide come immediately to mind.) Ultimately we and our intelligent machines will decide within the constraints imposed by Mother Nature what the balance will be. Machines do have the advantage that they can within a geologic instant adapt to a new environment. An extreme example is that they could live on an radioactive cinder with an atmosphere deadly to nearly all biological life.
Politics and the little clay gods that man has created can do nothing about this. Only human critical thinking has a chance, and then — if and only if it is done before the machines reach self awareness.
Of course they are not recycling all the rare earth metals from tiny electronics but it’s a start.
RARE EARTH ELEMENTS GETTING RECYCLED, FINALLY
http://news.discovery.com/autos/rare-earth-elements-in-batteries-getting-recycled-finally-120427.html#mkcpgn=rssnws1
i want to translate it to chinese， do i need a permission？
We Chinese Gov is too weak to protect our resource.It is not China that control the rare earth,On the contrary,It’s may other countries where rare resource is cherished like USA that control the rare earth.Chinese rare earth will vanish someday,and so the gov begin to control the export.Why say China control the rare earth sounds like China is a greedy country?It’s not fair.
Go ahead, Liam. You don’t need my permission, but you have it anyway!
But the rest of the earth is not an island. We will only run out of food if we are dumb enough to listen to enviro-green nuts who won’t let us use the earth’s resources to grow more. I’m guessing the leaders of Easter Island outlawed energy first.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-4gnNz0vc
Its interesting to know about such facts about world economy you people doing great job keep continue ………….
So how does the plant in Brazil work again? Those metals/elements/etc come from where?
I call shenannigans on this one. The one thing you learn about rare earths as soon as you look around is they aren’t rare at all. China may have momentarily cornered the market but there is heaps of rare earths in Australia already found just waiting to be dug up at the right price. Heaps.
seems like if you wanted to get around export quotas you would have a product made in china which is the rare earth metal in an easily dissoluble substrate. call it “neodymium cubes” or “yttrium blox” or something
You’re right, Tim. Rare earths are anything but rare, something we discussed in our last article on the rare earth topic. But because they’re generally dispersed in tiny quantities throughout the earth’s crust, they’re difficult and expensive to mine and refine. Plus, the refining process has a serious environmental impact. The only rare earth mining operation in the states, Molycorp, has begun mining again at their California Mountain Pass facility, which was shut down a decade ago partially as a result of environmental violations.
The problem with rare earths is not finding deposits but rather being able to turn those deposits into a product suitable for use in electronics, etc.
To Cudacurl: what are you some kind of idiot communist?
ITZ MADE OR RARE EARTHS! LOLOOLO
seriously, who gives a fuck
Nicely put Cudacurl.
I’m no longer sure where you are getting your information, however great topic. I must spend some time learning more or figuring out more. Thank you for fantastic information I was in search of this info for my mission.
Comments are closed