Apple Watch SE 3 Product Environmental Report

Product Carbon and Material Footprint

Apple is focused on decarbonizing the three largest sources of emissions: materials, electricity, and transportation, across its value chain. Progress is being made by expanding suppliers' sourcing of renewable energy, with 100 percent of manufacturing electricity for Apple Watch SE 3 sourced from renewable energy projects. Apple also matches 100 percent of expected customer product use with low-carbon electricity. The company prioritizes the use of recycled, renewable, and low-carbon materials while focusing on the energy efficiency of its software and hardware.

Responsible selection and sourcing of materials and components are prioritized, as they constitute a large part of the product's carbon footprint. Apple works to recover its own scrap at high purity. Since recycled material typically emits less carbon than newly mined materials over its lifetime, Apple looks to postindustrial and postconsumer sources for waste streams that can be recovered and used in new products.

Carbon Footprint Breakdown

A pie chart illustrates the carbon footprint breakdown for the Apple Watch SE 3 (44mm paired with Sport Loop), totaling 8.2 kg Net GHG emissions (CO2e). The segments represent: 51% Production: Materials and Process Emissions, 35% Production: Electricity, 13% Transportation, and 1% Renewable Energy Emissions.

Recycled Content in Apple Watch SE 3

The Apple Watch SE 3 features 40% recycled content, including:

• 100% recycled aluminum in the case
• 100% recycled cobalt in the battery
• 100% recycled copper in the charging coil and all Apple-designed printed circuit boards
• 40% recycled glass in the display (recovered from postindustrial material, including iPhone scrap)
• 100% recycled gold plating and tin solder in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards
• 95% recycled lithium in the battery
• 100% recycled rare earth elements in all magnets
• 100% recycled tungsten in the Taptic Engine
• 80% recycled steel in the speaker and Taptic Engine

Read more at apple.com/2030.

Product Insights

Definitions

Carbon footprint:

Estimated emissions calculated in accordance with ISO 14040, ISO 14044, and ISO 14067. Includes life cycle phases: Production (extraction, processing, transport of raw materials, manufacture, assembly), Transport (finished product and packaging from manufacturing to customers/hubs), Use (assumed device usage time and energy patterns), and End-of-life processing (transport to recycling centers, energy for separation/shredding).

Low-carbon electricity:

Refers to renewable electricity and other fossil-free projects considered "low-carbon" but not necessarily "renewable," like nuclear and large-impact hydroelectricity projects.

Low-carbon materials:

Materials created using production techniques with reduced carbon impact, such as Elysis or aluminum smelted using hydroelectricity.

Paper:

Definition adapted from ISO 4046.

Recycled materials:

Sourced from recovered materials, verified by an independent third party to a recycled content standard conforming to ISO 14021 definitions.

Renewable materials:

Bio-materials that can be regenerated in a human lifespan (e.g., wood fibers, sugarcane), managed responsibly to enable continuous production without depleting resources.

Supplier Clean Energy Program:

Program to help suppliers decarbonize their Apple production, including transitioning electricity use to 100 percent renewable sources.

For more information on the product carbon footprint methodology, visit apple.com/environment/answers.

Carbon Footprint Calculation

Greenhouse gas emissions were calculated using a life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology in accordance with ISO 14040, ISO 14044, and ISO 14067 standards. The LCA boundary includes the physical product, all components, packaging, and in-box accessories.

Apple models different configurations to show potential carbon emission ranges, acknowledging inherent uncertainty due to data limitations. For top component contributors, detailed process-based environmental models are used. For other elements, industry-average data and assumptions are applied.

For more information on the product carbon footprint methodology, visit apple.com/environment/answers.

Recover Program

Apple Trade In offers customers a seamless way to return old devices and accessories. Eligible devices can be traded in for credit or an Apple Store Gift Card. Accessories and other devices can be recycled for free. Apple also offers and participates in product take-back and recycling collection programs for 99 percent of the countries where products are sold, holding recyclers to high standards.

Learn more at apple.com/recycle.

Endnotes and Power Consumption

Endnotes provide further detail on specific aspects of the report:

1. Product recycled or renewable content is the mass of certified recycled material relative to the overall mass of the device, not including packaging or in-box accessories.
2. Manufacturing electricity is sourced from clean electricity, including a mix of supplier and Apple clean energy projects.
3. Greenhouse gas emissions calculated using LCA methodology (ISO 14040, 14044, 14067), including physical product, components, packaging, and in-box accessories.
4. Breakdown of U.S. retail packaging by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings excluded from plastic content and packaging weight calculations. Fiber sourcing defined in Apple's Responsible Fiber Specification.
5. All established final assembly supplier sites verified as Zero Waste by UL LLC (UL 2799 Standard), requiring at least 90 percent diversion from landfill.
6. Chemicals meeting ChemFORWARD Hazard band C or better, or equivalent results from GreenScreen or U.S. EPA Safer Choice, are considered safer and preferred.
7. Apple Watch SE 3 meets California Energy Commission's Energy Efficiency Standards for Small Battery Charger Systems. ENERGY STAR does not certify devices like Apple Watch.
8. Apple Watch SE 3 has a water resistance rating of 50 meters under ISO standard 22810:2010, suitable for shallow-water activities like swimming but not for scuba diving or high-velocity water activities.
9. Trade-in values vary based on condition, year, configuration, and may differ online/in-store. Minimum age 18. In-store trade-in requires a valid government-issued photo ID.

Power Consumption for Apple Watch SE 3

Energy efficiency values are based on specific conditions outlined in the definitions section and US Department of Energy procedures.