Apple is suing its
former recycling partner GEEP Canada for allegedly stealing and then reselling
approximately 103,845 iPads, iPhones, and Watches that were originally supposed
to be dismantled.

Apple has filed a
complaint accusing the coming for reselling “at least 11,766 pounds of Apple devices left GEEP’s premises without
being destroyed—a fact that GEEP itself confirmed.”

Between January 2015
and December 2017, the company had sent the recycling firm around 500,000
iPads, iPhones, and Apple Watches. After auditing, Apple discovered that 18% of
those devices could access the internet via cellular networks. Apple reminds the
jurisdiction that 18 % of those devices were without a cellular radio, and so,
the possibility of an even higher percentage of devices being sold is there.

Apple has demanded at
least 31M Canadian dollars as a means to reach a settlement. The
recycling firm, on the other hand, has denied all the accusations or the fact
that any thievery was done. The company has, in fact, filed a third-party suit
claiming that three employees have stolen the devices and that the company
holds no responsibility for it. Apple argues that these employees were part of
the senior management.

Last year, the e-waste
record added up to 53.6 million metric tons of discarded technological devices.
Apple is amongst the few companies that have been trying to reduce the damage
by improving and incorporating healthy environmental practices. To ensure this,
the company recycles in-house components with help from robots Dave and Daisy.

For this purpose, the
company relies on other partners as they help them recover valuable material
from used devices. And for this noble reason, the company had partnered up with
GEEP Canada.

Of course, reselling devices after refurbishing them is also a part of Geep’s business – the company clearly
mentions on its website that it aims to “encourage
reuse whenever possible”.

Apple believes that
even if the devices were available for reuse, it’s not okay to sell them on the
grey market without ensuring safety standards.

The company said: “Products sent for recycling are no longer
adequate to sell to consumers and if they are rebuilt with counterfeit parts
they could cause serious safety issues, including electrical or battery defects.”

Apple
cut off all ties with the company and filed for the lawsuit in January 2020.