Giant tech company Apple, in partnership with MP Materials, plans to establish a recycling plant focused on rare earth metals, under a $500 million supply agreement.
In a significant move towards a greener future, tech giant Apple and MP Materials have announced a multiyear partnership worth $500 million to develop a domestic rare earth magnet supply chain in the United States. This collaboration, emphasising sustainability through recycling and innovation, aims to reduce reliance on foreign sources and promote a circular economy.
The heart of this partnership is the launch of a rare earth recycling line in Mountain Pass, California. This facility will process recycled rare earth feedstock from end-of-life electronics and post-industrial scrap into magnets that meet Apple's high standards for performance and design.
The partnership builds on nearly five years of technical collaboration between the two companies, during which they have developed advanced recycling technology that transforms recovered rare earth elements into high-performance magnets suitable for Apple's devices.
The Fort Worth facility in Texas will manufacture these magnets domestically using 100% recycled rare earth materials sourced and processed through the Mountain Pass recycling line. This move strengthens U.S. manufacturing and supply chain resilience, while also supporting dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D.
In addition to the production of these magnets, Apple and MP Materials will collaborate on developing novel magnet materials and advanced processing technologies to further enhance magnet performance and design.
This initiative aligns with Apple’s broader $500 billion pledge to invest in U.S. innovation and manufacturing over the next several years. Apple has set a goal to use entirely recycled rare earth elements in Apple devices by 2025, a commitment that has been in place since the iPhone 11 in 2019.
The US Department of Defense has made an investment in MP Materials to reduce reliance on China and support key defence and commercial technologies. This investment is part of a strategic push for supply chain resilience in a net zero economy.
The magnets produced will be shipped across the US and globally to meet increased demand. Extensive training will be provided to the workforce at the new facility. This partnership represents a significant step toward a sustainable, domestic rare earth magnet supply, anchored by a new recycling facility in California and advanced magnet production in Texas, underpinned by innovation on recycling technology and magnet materials development.
Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, stated that this partnership will help strengthen the supply of vital rare earth minerals in the US, continuing Apple's commitment to incorporate recycled rare earth elements in its products. This investment by the US Department of Defense in MP Materials is not specified in the provided paragraph. The partnership between Apple and MP Materials aligns with broader US efforts to strengthen domestic access to critical minerals.
- The collaboration between Apple and MP Materials, driven by environmental-science and technology innovation, aims to develop novel magnet materials and advance processing technologies in the finance sector, further enhancing magnet performance and design within the industry.
- The multiyear partnership, focused on sustainability and innovation, expands into the field of science and R&D, as Apple and MP Materials commit to establishing a circular economy through the use of recycled rare earth materials in domestic production, thereby reducing reliance on foreign sources.
