Last month, SERI hosted its first-ever Electronics Sustainability Summit in Austin, Texas, where HOBI’s president, Craig Boswell, chaired a session on the evolving reuse market for mobile devices. The summit’s schedule included a SERI ESG Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) meeting and a surprising announcement from Tom Marieb, Apple’s vice president of product integrity. During a plenary discussion, Marieb said the tech giant is evolving its stance on device repair, a significant shift from its previous stance.
Device repair has been a long-standing issue in the tech industry, with many OEMs lobbying against the right-to-repair movement, Apple being the most vocal opposition. However, after pushback from users, the industry leader has recently changed its stance on repair policies.
“We’re here, and we’re listening,” Marieb told the audience of refurbishers and repair advocates. He explained the company is “trying to go less secretive in this space. We’re trying to talk a little more openly, discuss our goals, discuss where we’re headed, as well as take ideas in.” Marieb also noted that the iPhone 16 has more repairable individual modules than any previous iPhone models. “The thing that we are very excited about is our battery adhesive,” he added, describing it as a “liquid ionic battery adhesive.”
Apple’s battery design has drawn criticism from repair advocates for being too difficult to repair. It now includes a different removable adhesive with a small power source, making battery removal much more manageable. The new adhesive will only be available on the iPhone 16 for observation before being released on a broader scale.
Device Repair is Critical for Circularity & Reuse
Repair and reuse play a crucial role in reducing e-waste. With the overflow of technology, reuse is the primary method of preserving functional materials and expanding the lifecycle of retired electronics. Repairing used IT assets helps prepare them for remarketing, and remarketing used devices helps create sales channels for those hoping to find alternatives to new devices. Remarketing can significantly reduce the demand for new devices and the resources required to mine new metals for new devices.
Reducing demand for technology, reusing old devices, and recycling equipment no longer working supports a circular economy by keeping devices in circulation longer and eliminating e-waste. Reuse is a critical component of a circular economy, and the ability to repair devices helps extend the lifespan of working devices.
Help contribute to a circular economy by partnering with an ITAD provider like HOBI today. HOBI International, Inc. offers a range of end-of-use services for retired or unwanted IT assets, including repair and remarketing services, onsite data erasure, and customizable reverse logistics solutions.
For more information about our ITAD services, call 817-814-2620 or contact HOBI at sales@hobi.com.