Apple's iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy

Name: Apple's iPhone Revolution: Pioneering the Circular Economy (English version)
SKU: 123089

Serafeim, George

Product #:123089

Supplier:Harvard Business School

Discipline:General Management

Details:Case (PDF) • 12 pages • 2023-04-20 (Rev: 2023-09-18)

Subjects:

Accounting Business models Environmental sustainability Information systems Innovation Strategy Finance and investing Corporate strategy Business and society Technology and analytics Leadership and managing people Management

Industries:

Information technology and telecom sector

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$12.40

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When asked to identify an example of a circular economy business model that has generated billions in revenues for a company, ChatGPT, the famous chatbot that in 2022 rocked the world with its ability to perform a variety of tasks, immediately identified and highlighted Apple's iPhone trade-in program. The trade-in program encouraged customers to trade in their old devices, which were then refurbished and resold, or recycled for valuable components. With about 80% of the second-hand smartphone market comprised of iPhone and an increasing percentage of materials being recycled and reused in manufacturing, Apple was making progress towards circularity.

Learning Objectives

Learn about the characteristics of circular economy business models Understand the development of circular economy business models and the barriers that entrepreneurs and managers would need to overcome Develop the analytical skills to estimate the revenue and profitability impacts from circular economy business models Develop the analytical skills to estimate the climate and environmental impacts from circular economy business models