Apple Patent Reveals Eco-friendly Flame Retardant Material

While exploding electronics are thankfully a rare occurrence, they do happen once in a while. In fact last year we heard about an iPad exploding in a Vodafone store in Australia and earlier this year, an iPhone 5c caught on fire and burnt a schoolgirl in the process. Well it looks like Apple is hoping to put an end to that.

In a recent patent published today (via Cult of Mac), it seems that Apple is looking into creating an environmentally-friendly flame resistant material that could be used in future products. According to Apple, it seems that only 12% of plastics contain flame retardant materials, most of which contain halogens which are heavily regulated due to the impact they have on the environment.

Given what a big deal Apple makes regarding its green status and about sustainability, we guess this makes sense. The patent describes Apple’s efforts at a material that will contain as little of these substances as possible, meaning that only a little bit of toxic will be produced in the event it catches fire.

Of course given that this is a patent, it is unclear if and when Apple will actually make it a reality that will find its way into its products, but at the same time for those who are environmentally-conscious, we guess this is a good thing and a good effort on Apple’s part.

Tyler Lee
Categories: Apple, Green
Tags: Patent