Apple

Corporate Chemicals Policy

Apple’s comprehensive Smarter Chemistry policy addresses both its products and manufacturing and includes an explicit preference for safer alternatives.

Oversight

The implementation of Apple’s safer chemicals policy falls under the responsibility of its Vice President, Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives.

Collaboration

Apple has collaborated on safer chemistry projects with the Association for the Advancement of Alternatives Assessment, Change Chemistry, ChemFORWARD, Clean Electronics Production Network, Clean Production Action, ChemSec, and others. Apple also has a Green Chemistry Advisory Board that advises on the further development of its restricted substances.

Public Policy Support

Apple has been a member of the California Green Ribbon Science Panel (GRSP) since 2009 and Co-Chair since 2014. The GRSP acts as a resource and provides advice to The California Department of Toxic Substances Control’s Safer Consumer Products (SCP) Program. The GRSP provides advice on a variety of scientific and technical matters related to green chemistry, policy recommendations, and implementation of the SCP regulations.

Supply Chain Disclosure

Apple requires its suppliers to participate in its Full Material Disclosure program. Material manufacturers report on material compositions through Apple’s secure data collection system. It aims to catalog and map each chemical in the materials used in its products. To make this process easier, the company has developed a library of more than 60,000 materials, which suppliers use to identify the materials they use in its products. For iPhone, iPad, and Mac products released in 2023, the company collected detailed chemical information of 93 percent of each product by mass, on average. For Studio Displays, it collected information on more than 95 percent of the product by mass.

Additionally, the company performed toxicological assessments on over 1,300 materials to evaluate potentially harmful substances in its products. Information on how chemicals are used, how they are stored, and how employees are protected is also shared with Apple by suppliers through its Chemical Safety Disclosure (CSD) program. In 2022, more than 1,000 supplier facilities shared their chemical inventories as well as their storage and control information through the CSD program, including “suppliers representing the majority of Apple’s direct spend.”

Restricted Substances List (RSL)/Manufacturing Restricted Substances List (MRSL)

Apple maintains a restricted substances specification (RSS), which prohibits chemicals of high concern (CHCs) and plastics of high concern (PHCs). It applies to products, accessories, manufacturing, and packaging. The list includes phthalates, organotins, brominated flame retardants, chlorinated solvents, brominated solvents, polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, benzene, toluene, N-Methylpyrrolidone (NMP), and numerous other CHCs.

Chemicals and Plastics Reduction

Apple has eliminated the use of carcinogens, mutagens, reproductive toxicants, strong sensitizers, and persistent bioaccumulative toxins (PBTs) from cleaners and degreasers used at supplier final assembly sites. These criteria go beyond those for chemical footprint reduction. In addition, Apple has expanded its restricted substance list (RSL) to address additional chemicals of high concern (CHCs).

Apple has also begun to make progress replacing PFAS in certain new formulations of plastics, adhesives, and lubricants.

Safer alternative definition

Apple uses a definition of “safer alternative” that is consistent with Washington state and has integrated this criteria into its product design and development process to avoid regrettable substitution.

Since 2017, Apple has used the EPA Safer Choice criteria, along with GreenScreen Certified™ and ToxFMD®, to screen and assess chemicals used in its supply chain. In 2023, Apple approved 66 safer cleaners for use in its supply chain, bringing the total safer cleaners it has evaluated and approved to 175.

Investment in Safer Solutions

Apple worked in collaboration with Clean Production Action to develop the criteria for GreenScreen Certified for Cleaners and Degreasers, launched in 2021. In 2024, Apple provided seed funding for the Safer Chemistry Investment Fund, which aims to raise at least $15 million over the next five years to accelerate industry’s transition to safer chemistry.

Apple has also contributed or sponsored chemical hazard assessments (CHAs) for the ChemFORWARD solvents database, which contains 257 entries, and to the ChemFORWARD flame retardants database, which contains 96 entries.