Raw materials are key building blocks in the production of the iPhone; it simply could not be made without them. Every piece and part of the iPhone stems from one of the many raw materials that are extracted from all over the world. Gold from Peru, copper from Chile, along with many other minerals from many other countries go into its production. 90% of “rare earth minerals, naturally occurring solids whose combination comprises essential iPhone parts, are mined… in Mongolia”. Most of the extraction takes place in periphery nations where a lot of its environmental impacts can easily go unnoticed.
However, the mining of these materials has a lasting impression on the environment. The mining process has many negative consequences, such as (Raw Materials Used…):
- Destroying animal habitats where the minerals are mined from.
- Contributing to deforestation and pollution of the environment.
- Less than 1% of rare minerals are recycled; therefore, the rare earth minerals used in iPhones are thrown away after the phone’s life has expired.