News > Phones Apple Announces iPhone SE to Be Made From Carbon-Free Aluminum World’s first direct carbon-free aluminum smelting process By Lawrence Bonk Lawrence Bonk News Reporter Florida State University Lawrence Bonk is a tech news reporter for Lifewire, specializing in gaming, AI, VR, and consumer tech, including iOS, macOS, wearables, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Published on March 24, 2022 12:55PM EDT Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Fact checked by Jerri Ledford Western Kentucky University Gulf Coast Community College Jerri L. Ledford has been writing, editing, and fact-checking tech stories since 1994. Her work has appeared in Computerworld, PC Magazine, Information Today, and many others. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Phones Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming Smartphones require a manufacturing process that isn’t exactly easy on the planet, with studies indicating the energy used to build one phone is equal to the energy required to operate it for a decade. Apple is trying to ever-so-slightly change this reality. Apple has just announced that forthcoming iPhone SE models will be made from carbon-free aluminum, as reported in an official company blog post. In fact, the iPhone SE will benefit from the world’s first direct carbon-free aluminum smelting process outside of a laboratory, thanks to Canadian manufacturing giant Elysis. The hydropower-based smelting process outputs oxygen instead of greenhouse gases, reducing the climate impact of the manufacturing process. Apple “This is the first time aluminum has been produced at this commercial purity, without any greenhouse gas emission, and at industrial scale,” said Vincent Christ, Elysis’s CEO in the blog post. There are some caveats here, however, as Apple has not divulged any specific information as to how many iPhone SE products would benefit from this new process. Another potential issue is the design of the phone itself, as the SE only uses aluminum for the frame, with the back dominated by glass. Apple has set a goal to create an entirely carbon-neutral product line by 2030. According to the company, aluminum-linked carbon emissions at Apple have dropped almost 70 percent since 2015. “We are excited to be working alongside Apple on this advancement, which has the potential to make lasting changes in how aluminum is produced,” added Christ. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Email Address Sign up There was an error. Please try again. You're in! Thanks for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. Thank you for signing up! Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit