Apple and MP Materials to Establish Rare Earths Recycling Plant as Part of $500 Million Partnership Agreement
Apple and MP Materials have announced a significant partnership aimed at producing 100% recycled rare earth magnets domestically in the United States for Apple’s products.
This collaboration centers around two key facilities: MP Materials' Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas, and the Mountain Pass facility in California. The Texas facility will manufacture the rare earth magnets using recycled rare earth materials sourced from the Mountain Pass site. The California facility will soon house a commercial-scale, dedicated recycling line, processing a range of inputs to enable more efficient recycling and circular supply chains for rare earth magnets.
The partnership represents a significant step towards sustainable and domestically sourced rare earth magnet production. Over the past five years, Apple and MP Materials have been working together to develop advanced recycling technologies to meet Apple’s high standards for magnet performance and design. This partnership will further optimise these technologies for better performance and sustainability.
The investment by Apple is part of its commitment to spend over $500 billion in the US over the next four years, with the goal of strengthening domestic supply chains for critical materials and fostering innovation in American manufacturing and recycling technologies.
The US Department of Defense has also made an investment in MP Materials to reduce reliance on China and support key defense and commercial technologies. This investment is a strategic push for supply chain resilience in a net zero economy. The new facility is expected to support dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D.
Once built, the magnets produced will be shipped across the US and beyond, meeting increased global demand for such materials. Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, stated that the partnership will help strengthen the supply of rare earth minerals essential for advanced technology in the US.
This partnership aligns with broader US efforts to strengthen domestic access to critical minerals, as the world transitions towards a more sustainable and technology-driven future.
- The business collaboration between Apple and MP Materials, as seen in their plan to produce 100% recycled rare earth magnets domestically, extends to the realm of environmental science, aiming to reduce environmental impact by promoting circular supply chains.
- The combination of technology and finance is evident in Apple's investment to strengthen domestic supply chains for critical materials like rare earth magnets, which requires ongoing innovation in American manufacturing and recycling technologies.
- In the venture of producing sustainable and domestically sourced rare earth magnets, the impact reaches beyond Apple's products and the United States, as the technology developed could be applied to various industries seeking energy-efficient solutions.
