Apple to use world's first commercial-purity low-carbon aluminum for iPhone SE

Apple has today announced that it plans to introduce a new type of carbon-free aluminum to the iPhone SE, following a major breakthrough in the smelting process.

The company hailed the success of its Green Bonds stating:

Investments from Apple's $4.7 billion in Green Bonds have helped jump-start the development of new low-carbon manufacturing and recycling technologies, the company announced today. Apple has issued three Green Bonds since 2016, with projects showcasing how the investments can reduce global emissions and bring clean power to communities around the world.

The company then went on to announce a big new upgrade to Apple's best iPhone for those on a budget, the iPhone SE:

As part of this work, Apple is purchasing direct carbon-free aluminum following a major advancement in smelting technology to reduce emissions. The aluminum is the first to be manufactured at industrial scale outside of a laboratory without creating any direct carbon emissions during the smelting process. The company intends for the material to be introduced in the iPhone SE.

The aluminum comes from the company ELYSIS, which has announced that it has produced the first commercial-purity primary aluminum at an industrial scale to be used in Apple products. The smelting process produces oxygen rather than greenhouse gases, marking "a major milestone in the production of aluminum." The aluminum is made in Quebec using hydropower.

Apple says that more than $500 million of the company's 2019 GReen Bond proceeds have gone to clean energy projects. It also says that it has helped to support its Supplier Clean Energy Program, and that more than 175 manufacturing partners in 24 countries have committed to using 100% renewable energy for Apple production.