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

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Coming Soon: New Features for Your iPhone and Release Date

Monday October 27, 2025 7:55 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 26.1 update includes a handful of new features and changes for iPhones, including a toggle for changing the appearance of the Liquid Glass design, "slide to stop" for alarms in the Clock app, and more. Below, we outline key details about iOS 26.1. Release Date Given that Apple has yet to seed an iOS 26.1 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, the...
iOS 26

6 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 26.1

Wednesday October 29, 2025 4:22 am PDT by
Apple is about to drop iOS 26.1, the first major point release since iOS 26 was rolled out in September, and there are at least six notable changes and improvements to look forward to. We've rounded them up below. Apple has already provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of iOS 26.1, which means Apple will likely roll out the update to all compatible...
maxresdefault

Apple TV 4K Could Still Launch Before 2025 Ends: All the Rumored Features

Monday October 27, 2025 4:51 pm PDT by
Apple is designing an updated version of the Apple TV 4K, and rumors suggest that it could come out sometime in the next couple of months. We're not expecting a major overhaul with design changes, but even a simple chip upgrade will bring major improvements to Apple's set-top box. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. We've rounded up all the latest Apple TV rumors. ...
iOS 26

Apple Seeds iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, and macOS Tahoe 26.1 Release Candidates

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:07 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate versions of upcoming iOS 26.1, iPadOS 26.1, macOS Tahoe 26.1, tvOS 26.1, watchOS 26.1, and visionOS 26.1 updates for testing purposes. The RCs betas come a week after Apple released the fourth betas. The new betas can be downloaded from the Settings app on a compatible device by going to General > Software...
M6 MacBook Pro Feature 1

M6 MacBook Pro: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Monday October 27, 2025 9:15 am PDT by
Apple this month refreshed the 14-inch MacBook Pro base model with its new M5 chip, and higher-end 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models with M5 Pro and M5 Max chips are expected to follow in early 2026. However, these machines will represent the final update to the current design, with Apple reportedly developing a completely new version of the MacBook Pro packed with next-generation hardware...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

8 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Thursday October 30, 2025 4:42 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
macos tahoe

Here Are Apple's Release Notes for macOS Tahoe 26.1

Tuesday October 28, 2025 1:21 pm PDT by
Apple today provided developers and public beta testers with the release candidate version of macOS Tahoe 26.1, which means the update will likely see a public launch next week. The release candidate includes notes on what's in the update, so we have a full picture of the new features that Apple has included. macOS Tahoe 26.1 adds AutoMix support over AirPlay, improved FaceTime audio...
ipad mini 7 feature blue

OLED iPad Mini: Release Date, Pricing, and What to Expect

Wednesday October 29, 2025 7:13 am PDT by
Rumors are stoking excitement for the next-generation iPad mini that Apple is reportedly close to launching. So what should we expect from the successor to the iPad mini 7 that Apple released over a year ago? Read on to find out. Processor and Performance Apple is working on a next-generation version of the iPad mini (codename J510/J511) that features the A19 Pro chip, according to...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Another Vehicle Brand Gaining iPhone Car Keys Support

Tuesday October 28, 2025 5:27 am PDT by
Apple is preparing to bring support for its digital car key feature to Jetour vehicles, according to evidence uncovered on Apple's backend by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. Introduced in 2022, Car Keys allows an iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock a vehicle through the Wallet app. A digital version of a car key is stored in Wallet, and unlocking can be done by holding an Apple Watch or...

Top Rated Comments

thadoggfather Avatar
54 months ago
Reduce your environmental impact if you really care and skip the upgrade!
Score: 55 Votes (Like | Disagree)
WiseAJ Avatar
54 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
54 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
54 months ago
less use of plastic is always better
Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sciomar Avatar
54 months ago
Someone will still complain.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
turbineseaplane Avatar
54 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)