Cradle-to-Grave of the Macbook Pro Retina
By Robert Read
Science 10
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
The Macbook Pro Retina is one of the most popular technological products in the current market. The Macbook Pro is marketed as the greenest notebook by Apple but there are elements of the product that are not environmentally sound. This is proven with the study from the process from cradle to grave of the new Macbook Pro Retina. The environmental impact of the Macbook Pro can be measured by the lack of recyclability in the creation stage, the level of emissions in the transportation stage, the facilitation of disposal by Apple and local governments, and the economic viability of the MacBook Pro.
The MacBook Pro is made by using a milling process. The body of the computer is made from a single block of aluminium which is then cut by 13 different machines exactly to the unibody finished product (Jaymi). The use of a unibody Apple removes the need for smaller parts. By using smaller parts, Apple removes the possibility of error that could come from having multiple parts. In the past 4 years Apple has made an effort to create the most environmentally friendly notebook on the market. This was done by focusing on the make up of the small parts to ensure that the glass was arsenic-free and the wires were PVC-free (Apple). However the recent generation of Macbook pros are not as eco-friendly as the older counter parts.This is primarily because they are glued together and cannot be properly dismantled for repair or recycling processes. Parts of the Macbook Pro Retina such as the LED screen which usually can be recycled have had glass glued to the screen for a seamless design. This design element has made recycling the LED screen more diff...
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... web for 9 hours. With over 1000 battery cycles for the life expectancy of the Macbook Pro Retina that would be 5 years for the average computer user. This proves that the Macbook Pro Retina is an economical choice not because of the price but because it will be the better option in the long run. (Apple)
From an analysis of the cradle to grave process, it is evident that while the Macbook Pro is not a recyclable product, the product is valuable to consumers because of various technological advances. However, due to the increasing importance of environmentally safe product disposal, Apple will need to modify the manufacturing process to create a recyclable product. The Macbook Pro will become a more popular product if Apple maintains the high standards of technological development and incorporates a low environmental impact into the cradle to grave process.
In conclusion to this investigation one thing is clear and that is that recycling reeks benefits to the environment, Recycling material when compared to making material from raw material is a more efficient energy saving and more environmentally friendly way to reuse material that is usually consider as trash such as empty glass, and plastic bottles, or old newspapers. Recycling helps reduce the possible carbon emissions greatly and does reduce the human carbon footprint. But Recycling doesn’t resolve the pollution that is around the world today. Leading to new questions, questions like what about the landfills are they sustainable, and if so for how long. How long until the air becomes unbreathable? How long until Earth becomes its own furnace?
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