Apple’s M4 Mac mini has already attracted a lot of attention thanks to its brand new and innovative design. Yet there is another reason why, according to the technology giant, it deserves your praise.
The M4 Mac mini is now the second Apple product and the first Mac device to be labeled carbon neutral. To reduce the carbon footprint of the Mac mini, Apple has invested in enough renewable energy to offset the emissions created by consumer use of the product.
This all started in 2023 with the Apple Watch Series 9‘s production, in which it decided to eliminate emissions by purchasing renewable energy sources. While the energy required to power a smartwatch is relatively small compared to the footprint of the device’s components, a Mac mini requires much more energy to function, making the latter a much more sustainable option for this method of CO2 reduction.
While the smaller size has likely reduced its carbon footprint, Apple has tended to be tight-lipped on the details regarding materials and manufacturing for its environmental initiatives, making it difficult to determine whether this can actually be expanded.
Will this initiative really work?
While this sounds great, and it really is, these purchases of renewables raise an important question: Does it ultimately matter?
Of course, every bit of reduction helps, and achieving a carbon-neutral footprint is certainly commendable. But how carbon neutral are these footprints when we look at the environmental impact of the semiconductor industry? Not only is it incredibly energy intensive, but it uses chemicals that pose a significantly greater risk of global warming than carbon dioxide.
According to TechCrunchproduction of the base model for the Mac mini “generates 32 kg of CO2 pollution,” even after deducting Apple’s carbon reduction investments, and the top model “nearly quadruples its carbon footprint to 121 kg.”
It shows you how much – even with all these initiatives that tech companies have been investing in for years – the CO2 emissions, chemical waste production and overall contribution to ecological damage (not to mention the unethical labor practices associated with the mining) embedded in the technology industry.
The only real way to truly reduce carbon emissions is to reduce the production of technical products in the first place, while developing more sustainable materials and manufacturing practices. Otherwise, all the world’s renewable energy sources will not be able to compensate for the permanent damage to the planet.