Apple Takes Another Step Toward Sustainability with Rare Earth Magnets Deal
In a significant step toward strengthening its domestic supply chain, Apple has committed $500 million to purchase American-made rare earth magnets from MP Materials , one of the country’s leading producers.
The deal will see MP Materials — currently the only fully integrated rare earth materials company in the U.S. — expand its production facility in Fort Worth, Texas , where it will install multiple neodymium magnet manufacturing lines tailored specifically for Apple’s needs.
🧲 Why Magnets Matter in Apple Devices
Rare earth magnets are essential components in many of Apple’s products, including iPhones, Apple Watches, iPads, and MacBooks . These tiny but powerful magnets are used in everything from haptic feedback systems to internal sensors and speakers.
Since 2019, Apple has been incorporating recycled rare earth elements into its devices, starting with the Taptic Engine in the iPhone 11 . Today, nearly all magnets used in Apple products contain 100% recycled rare earth materials , part of the company’s broader sustainability goals.
🤖 Robots That Help Recycle Magnets
To support this initiative, Apple developed specialized robots like:
- Daisy , which can disassemble up to 200 iPhones per hour , recovering valuable materials including rare earth elements.
- Dave , a robot designed to dismantle Taptic Engines , allowing for the recovery of tungsten and steel.
These innovations are key to Apple’s efforts in creating a closed-loop supply chain, where materials from old devices are reused in new ones.
♻️ New Recycling Facility to Be Built in California
As part of the collaboration with MP Materials, Apple is also helping to build a dedicated rare earth recycling line at MP’s operations in Mountain Pass, California .
This facility will focus on processing post-consumer electronics waste and industrial scrap to extract usable rare earth materials. The goal is to refine these materials into high-performance components that meet Apple’s strict standards for design and functionality.
The partnership, which has already been ongoing for around five years, aims to develop new magnet materials and advanced processing technologies to improve performance while reducing environmental impact.
💼 Part of Apple’s Larger $500 Billion U.S. Investment Plan
This $500 million commitment is just one piece of Apple’s broader $500 billion investment plan in the United States over the next four years . As part of this strategy, Apple is focusing on reshoring critical production processes, supporting local jobs, and investing in sustainable technology.
This move also comes amid renewed economic policies such as the Trump-era tariffs , which encouraged companies to bring manufacturing back to the U.S. — a trend Apple is clearly embracing.
