Apple attached recycled-content figures to all three of the metal products it announced today. The iPhone 18 Pro and Apple Watch Series 12 are each 40 percent recycled material overall, while the Apple Watch Ultra 4 leads the lineup at 45 percent. All three ship in 100 percent fiber-based packaging.
The overall percentages hide different choices underneath. Apple reached its numbers through different combinations of case, enclosure and battery materials on each product, and the press releases spell those out. Here is what the three releases say, and what they leave out. Our iPhone 18 Pro announcement coverage has the rest of the phone’s specs.
Recycled content across Apple’s new lineup
| Material | iPhone 18 Pro | Apple Watch Series 12 | Apple Watch Ultra 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recycled content overall | 40 percent | 40 percent | 45 percent |
| Enclosure or case | 85 percent recycled aluminum | 100 percent recycled aluminum and titanium | 100 percent recycled titanium |
| Battery cobalt | 100 percent recycled | Not published | 100 percent recycled |
| Packaging | 100 percent fiber-based | 100 percent fiber-based | Not published |
Where the iPhone 18 Pro lands
The iPhone 18 Pro’s 40 percent overall figure rests on an enclosure that is 85 percent recycled aluminum and a battery that uses 100 percent recycled cobalt. The enclosure is the one place in the lineup where Apple stops short of 100 percent, which is consistent with the phone carrying over the 17 Pro generation’s design with a new rear finish.
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Apple has not published recycled percentages for the phone’s other components, such as rare earth elements, tin, gold or the glass, in this release. The iPhone 18 Pro Max is covered by the same figures, since Apple’s release treats the two models together.
How Series 12 and Ultra 4 differ
Series 12 matches the iPhone at 40 percent overall, but does it with fully recycled metal: Apple says both the aluminum and titanium cases are 100 percent recycled. The release does not give a figure for the new ceramic case in pearl white or night blue, so it is unclear whether ceramic models hit the same 40 percent.
Ultra 4 has the highest overall number at 45 percent, combining a 100 percent recycled titanium case with 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. Apple’s Ultra 4 release does not repeat the packaging claim, and its Series 12 release does not mention battery cobalt, so those two cells in the table are gaps in what Apple has published rather than differences in the products.
What Apple did not say
- AirPods 5: no recycled-content figures in the release
- iPhone Duo: no press release yet, so no environmental data
- Bands, cases and the wrist strap: no material percentages published
- Series 12 ceramic case: no recycled figure
- Year-over-year comparisons: Apple did not state last year’s percentages in today’s releases
Apple has not said whether it will publish fuller product environmental reports for the three devices, which in past years have followed the launch. For now, the numbers above are the complete set. Both watches can be pre-ordered today, the iPhone opens on September 12, and all three arrive on September 18. Our Apple Watch Series 12 coverage and event recap have the rest of the announcements.
