Apple is continuing its push toward more sustainable packaging, replacing plastic components with fiber-based alternatives as part of its goal to eliminate plastic from product packaging.
The company has introduced a fully fiber-based packaging system that replaces traditional plastic trays, protective films, cushioning, and closures with paper-based materials. The new packaging uses molded fiber structures, paper-based films, corrugated cushioning, fiber locking mechanisms, and bio-based adhesives while remaining compatible with existing paper recycling systems.
The redesigned packaging is intended to provide the same level of protection for Apple products during shipping while significantly reducing the amount of plastic used throughout the supply chain. Apple has also expanded the use of fiber-based materials beyond retail packaging to include supplier packaging, creating greater consistency across the manufacturing and distribution process.
The move forms part of Apple’s wider environmental strategy. According to the company, recycled materials now account for approximately 30% of the total material used across products it ships, reflecting broader efforts to increase the use of recycled and renewable materials throughout its business.
Apple has steadily reduced plastic in its packaging over recent years, introducing paper pull tabs, molded fiber trays, and paper wrapping in place of plastic film across many of its products. The latest fiber-based packaging system represents another step toward the company’s long-term sustainability goals, which include removing plastic from packaging while reducing its overall environmental impact.