Apple and Belkin Reducing Environmental Impact of Packaging With iPhone 13 Launch

During Tuesday's media event, Greg Joswiak noted that Apple has redesigned the packaging for the iPhone 13 lineup to eliminate the traditional outer plastic wrap on the box, a change that will avoid creating 600 metric tons of plastic waste.

iphone 13 no plastic wrap
As shared in a tweet by leaker DuanRui earlier today, it appears that Apple's solution is one already used on many Apple accessories, involving a sticker with a tear-off strip that secures the box until it's ready to be opened.


Apple is not the only company making changes to its packaging for sustainability reasons as part of the ‌iPhone‌ 13 launch, with Belkin today announcing that its new lineup of screen protectors for the ‌iPhone‌ 13 family will arrive in packaging made entirely of recycled plastic water bottles and forest certified paper.

belkin ultraglass iphone 13
In addition to the packaging change, which is part of a broader internal and external sustainability initiative at the company, Belkin says the Screen Protector Applicator kits made available to retail stores to assist with installation will also transition to more sustainable materials including kraft paper, plant-based plastic liners, and soy-based ink.

Belkin's Anti-Glare Screen Protectors for all ‌iPhone‌ 13 models are available from Apple for $19.95, while the UltraGlass Screen Protectors with double ion-exchange strengthened lithium aluminosilicate glass are priced at $39.95.

Related Forum: iPhone

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

Apple Shows Off a Key Reason to Upgrade to the iPhone 17

Saturday February 7, 2026 9:26 am PST by
Apple today shared an ad that shows how the upgraded Center Stage front camera on the latest iPhones improves the process of taking a group selfie. "Watch how the new front facing camera on iPhone 17 Pro takes group selfies that automatically expand and rotate as more people come into frame," says Apple. While the ad is focused on the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, the regular iPhone...
Finder Siri Feature

Why Apple's iOS 26.4 Siri Upgrade Will Be Bigger Than Originally Promised

Friday February 6, 2026 3:06 pm PST by
In the iOS 26.4 update that's coming this spring, Apple will introduce a new version of Siri that's going to overhaul how we interact with the personal assistant and what it's able to do. The iOS 26.4 version of Siri won't work like ChatGPT or Claude, but it will rely on large language models (LLMs) and has been updated from the ground up. Upgraded Architecture The next-generation...
wwdc sans text feature

Apple Rumored to Announce New Product on February 19

Thursday February 5, 2026 12:22 pm PST by
Apple plans to announce the iPhone 17e on Thursday, February 19, according to Macwelt, the German equivalent of Macworld. The report, citing industry sources, is available in English on Macworld. Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, February 19 last year, so the iPhone 17e would be unveiled exactly one year later if this rumor is accurate. It is quite uncommon for Apple to unveil...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Apple Says These 7 U.S. States Plan to Offer iPhone Driver's Licenses

Monday February 9, 2026 6:24 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. The feature is currently available in 13 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and it is expected to launch in at least seven more in the future. To set up the...
14 inch MacBook Pro Keyboard

New MacBook Pros Could Now Arrive in March

Sunday February 8, 2026 6:02 am PST by
New MacBook Pro models with the M5 Pro and M5 Max chips could arrive as soon as Monday, March 2, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. In today's "Power On" newsletter, Gurman said that the release of new MacBook Pro models is tied to the release of macOS Tahoe 26.3. The launch is said to be slated for as early as the week of March 2. He added that the M4 Pro and M4 Max models on sale today...

Top Rated Comments

thadoggfather Avatar
58 months ago
Reduce your environmental impact if you really care and skip the upgrade!
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiseAJ Avatar
58 months ago

Was the primary motivation behind these changes really sustainability, or was it cost savings?
Why can't it be both?
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sophisticatednut Avatar
58 months ago

Someone will still complain.
Considering the trillion dollar R&D budget apple have, it’s kind of lame when apple come with come with half assed solutions.
remove iPhone charger, don’t remove iPad chargers and remove watch charger.

makes all our bricks to e-waste, don’t offer an exchange program to take care of the old 5w chargers.

puts USB-c on the new iPad Mini for its transfer speed as the iPad Pro. Have USB c charger on the Apple Watch, have exclusively used USB-C on every Macbook for the last 5 years released. But still for some reason uses USB 2.0 lightning connector on the iPhone 13 and the cheapest iPad model… great

and have the least environmentally friendly way to repair computers
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mashdots Avatar
58 months ago
less use of plastic is always better
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sciomar Avatar
58 months ago
Someone will still complain.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
57 months ago
Does this make everybody feel better?

If people really want to help out the environment, stop buying a new phone you don’t need every single year
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)