Apple’s new iPhone Air contains more recycled titanium than any of its predecessors, the company announced at the Tuesday Keynote. It’s using 80 percent recycled titanium. The phone as a whole is made with 35 percent recycled material by weight, compared to 30 percent recycled material for the iPhone 17.
The iPhone Air incorporates a thinner, 3-D printed titanium USB-C port to match the phone’s slim design. That strategy uses 33 percent less material than a typical forging process, according to Apple.
The company’s latest lineup of watches also boast higher proportions of recycled content. The Apple Watch Ultra 3, Apple Watch SE 3, and Series 11 are made up of 40 percent recycled content, with 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. The Ultra 3 case is made with 100 percent recycled titanium, and Apple says that an “innovative 3D printing process” allowed it to cut down the amount of raw materials used in the case by half compared to previous iterations. The Apple Watch SE 3 case is made with 100 percent recycled aluminum. The Series 11 case is made with either 100 percent recycled titanium or aluminum.
For comparison, Apple’s Series 10 watch cases came with either 100 percent recycled aluminum or 95 percent recycled titanium. Using more recycled materials can minimize the pollution and environmental risks of mining and processing raw materials, as does designing products to have more longevity.
Update, Sep. 9th: This post has been updated with more information about the iPhone Air and Apple Watch lineup.
