Refurbed, the refurbished electronics marketplace, is taking Apple to task over its T2 chips in MacBooks, which Refurbed says prevent the laptops being recycled.

T2 chips were introduced to MacBooks in 2018 and now 2018/2019 MacBooks are being sold on. However, T2 chips prevent refurbishers from restoring the device to factory settings and therefore prevent its resale within the digital circular economy.

Refurbed claims that this results in thousands of MacBooks around the world being sold cheaply as scrap or ending up in a landfill.

Peter Windischhofer, co-founder of Refurbed, said the T2 issue further highlights Apple's disregard for the refurbishment market and the efforts that are going towards the right-to-repair movement.

“The movement's ambition is to increase the lifespan of a device by 10 years, ultimately reducing e-waste, and Apple’s use of T2 chips undermines this goal,” he said.

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“Coupled with this, it restricts consumers' access to refurbished sustainable devices and impedes the continued development of the refurbishment industry.”

Windischhofer is calling for a “systematic change” whereby Apple takes responsibility for the effects that T2 chips are having on the development of the digital circular economy and the supply available to consumers.

“The continued use of T2 chips in Apple products shows a disrespect for the efforts of refurbishers in developing the digital circular economy,” he added.

“It is time that we put further pressure on Apple and corporations alike to change their practices and work with us to promote the refurbishment industry across the globe for a better future.”

Founded in Vienna in 2017, Refurbed employs over 250 people and says its refurbished electronic devices are up to 40% cheaper than new devices.

Image: Peter Windischhofer co-founder of Refurbed