Global tech giant Apple partners with MP Materials in a $500 million contract to establish a recycling facility for rare earth elements, essential for electronic devices manufacturing.
Apple, the tech giant, has announced a significant partnership with MP Materials, a company specialising in rare earth materials, to bolster the production of essential minerals for advanced technology in the United States. As part of this collaboration, Apple has committed to invest $500 million over a multiyear period to purchase rare earth magnets produced domestically from 100% recycled materials.
The partnership will see MP Materials manufacture these magnets at their Independence facility in Fort Worth, Texas, using recycled rare earth feedstock processed at their Mountain Pass, California site, which is also home to the only U.S. rare earth mine. A new recycling facility is being established at Mountain Pass to recover rare earth elements from end-of-life electronics and post-industrial scrap, thereby closing the supply chain loop by turning e-scrap magnets into high-performance magnet materials for Apple products.
This collaboration builds on nearly five years of joint technology development, aiming to produce recycled rare earth magnets that meet Apple’s stringent standards for performance and design. The recycling line at Mountain Pass will be commercial scale and dedicated to processing a variety of magnet scrap and components recovered from used electronics.
The partnership aligns with Apple’s broader sustainable materials and domestic manufacturing goals. It strengthens supply chain resilience, supports American industrial capacity with domestic sourcing of critical materials, advances a circular supply chain model focused on recovering and reusing rare earth elements essential for technology manufacturing, invests in next-generation recycling technologies, and reduces the environmental footprint of rare earth extraction.
Moreover, the partnership supports Apple’s pledge to invest more than $500 billion in the U.S. economy over the next four years, emphasising innovation and sustainability in American manufacturing. The new facility is expected to create dozens of new jobs in advanced manufacturing and R&D, with extensive training provided to the workforce.
The partnership is also part of a broader effort to support key defense and commercial technologies. The US Department of Defense has announced an investment in MP Materials to reduce reliance on China for critical minerals, aligning with broader US efforts to strengthen domestic access to critical minerals.
Apple has set sustainable materials goals for its products, including a target for magnets in Apple devices to use entirely recycled rare earth elements by 2025. In its recently released Environmental Progress Report, Apple revealed it has nearly achieved this goal, surpassing 99% use of recycled rare earth elements in all magnets.
The partnership between Apple and MP Materials will continue to improve magnet production and end-of-life recovery, boosting U.S. manufacturing and technological leadership in responsible material production. This collaboration represents a major step toward sustainable and secure sourcing of rare earth magnets, key components in many Apple devices.
- Apple's partnership with MP Materials, involving a $500 million investment over a multiyear period, extends beyond five years of joint technology development, aiming to produce recycled rare earth magnets for use in the finance sector, specifically in the energy industry, where these high-performance magnet materials would support the development of clean energy technology products.
- As part of this strategic alliance, MP Materials will be using recycled rare earth feedstock from end-of-life electronics and post-industrial scrap to manufacture these magnets, thus promoting the growth of the technology industry by advancing a circular supply chain model that focuses on recovery and reuse of rare earth elements essential for technology manufacturing.
