At APCER & Hotspot 2025, Frank Shou, Apple’s Head of Environmental Initiatives for Asia-Pacific, shared Apple’s journey toward a circular economy and its efforts to build a low-carbon, resource-efficient supply chain for a sustainable future.
At the APCER & Hotspot 2025 event, a key regional forum on environmental sustainability in the Asia-Pacific, Frank Shou, Apple’s Head of Environmental Initiatives for the Asia-Pacific region, delivered a compelling presentation on Apple’s journey toward a circular economy. Emphasizing that circularity is both a responsibility and an opportunity to shape a sustainable future, Shou outlined Apple’s strategies, achievements, and challenges in building a low-carbon, resource-efficient supply chain.
Reducing Carbon Emissions: A Foundation for Sustainability
Shou began by reaffirming Apple’s commitment to environmental stewardship. From a baseline established years ago, the company has slashed its carbon emissions by over 60% globally. This progress stems from four core strategies:
- Optimized Design and Manufacturing: Using more renewable and recycled materials while reducing energy consumption in production processes.
- Enhanced Energy Efficiency: Expanding the use of renewable energy across the supply chain.
- Minimizing Harmful Waste: Replacing plastic packaging with eco-friendly alternatives, such as biodegradable boxes.
- Nature-Based Solutions: Implementing measures like reforestation to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
A significant milestone is Apple’s achievement of 100% renewable energy for all its operations—offices, retail stores, manufacturing facilities, and even employee travel—since 2018. “This is a proud moment, but we’re not stopping here,” Shou declared.
A Circular Supply Chain: From Design to Recovery
The heart of Shou’s talk at APCER & Hotspot 2025 was Apple’s approach to integrating circular economy principles into its supply chain, which accounts for 87% of product-related carbon emissions. He described a closed-loop system: designing products with recycled materials, manufacturing with clean energy, transporting with low-carbon methods, matching customer device-charging energy with green electricity, and recovering materials from end-of-life products.
Apple’s bold ambition is to one day manufacture all its products using only renewable or recycled materials, eliminating the need for mining. Currently, 24% of materials in Apple products come from recycled sources, and the company has achieved 99% recycled rare earths, with a goal to reach 100% by the end of 2025. Shou highlighted Apple’s latest Environmental Product Report (available on its website), focusing on the newest iPhone, launched in September 2025. The report shows that the carbon footprint primarily stems from production electricity and materials, but Apple has made strides: 100% recycled rare earths in magnets, 100% recycled tin, and high percentages of recycled cobalt.
Challenges and Collaboration: Scaling Circularity
Despite these achievements, Shou candidly addressed challenges, particularly around scalability. Sourcing sufficient high-quality recycled materials, especially for mixed alloys like aluminum, remains a hurdle. A recent study, conducted in collaboration with UK universities (published in June 2025), revealed that recycled material quality varies significantly depending on processing technology. “Pure aluminum is easier to recycle, but mixed aluminum requires advanced refining to achieve up to 12 times better efficiency,” he explained.
To tackle this, Apple is forging partnerships with suppliers, universities, and supply chain experts. At APCER & Hotspot 2025, Shou specifically called for input from Taiwan’s expert community—a major manufacturing hub for Apple—inviting ideas to improve recycling processes. “We’re eager to collaborate. If you have suggestions for enhancing circularity, please reach out to us,” he urged.
A Call to Action at APCER & Hotspot 2025
Shou’s presentation was not just a showcase of Apple’s progress but a rallying cry for global collaboration. The circular economy, he argued, is key to reducing environmental impact, preserving finite resources, and creating lasting value. Apple’s transparent goals and data-driven approach set a high bar, but true success requires industry-wide effort.
He concluded by directing attendees to Apple’s environmental website for detailed reports and data. “Take the time to explore—our planet’s future depends on the actions we take today,” Shou emphasized. In the Asia-Pacific region, a global manufacturing powerhouse, Apple’s insights at APCER & Hotspot 2025 serve as a powerful inspiration for businesses in Vietnam and beyond to embrace a greener, circular economy.