Apple’s AirPods – wireless headphones that are used to play music and podcasts and to make phone calls – carry a heavy environmental and social cost. The devices operate for approximately 18 months, before the lithium-ion batteries begin to lose charge. The headphones cannot be repaired as they are glued together and cannot be disposed of in standard garbage as the batteries pose a fire risk to compactors. The products are also difficult to recycle. Apple has been criticized by environmentalists who say it is not doing enough to reduce its carbon footprint.
Apple’s AirPods – wireless headphones that are used to play music and podcasts and to make phone calls – carry a heavy environmental and social cost. The devices operate for approximately 18 months, before the lithium-ion batteries begin to lose charge. The headphones cannot be repaired as they are glued together and cannot be disposed of in standard garbage as the batteries pose a fire risk to compactors. The products are also difficult to recycle. Workers who assembly the items, and mine the materials that they contain, also work in poor conditions for low pay.