This is one of the places where I've been impressed with where Apple's moved over time. In the early to mid 2010s, their largely paper-based packaging seemed to

This is one of the places where I've been impressed with where Apple's moved over time. In the early to mid 2010s, their largely paper-based packaging seemed to lead a lot of high-ticket tech packagers to move in that direction[1] in an effort to seem like more of a premium product. Over the last few years, I've noticed a lot of that plastic being replaced with paper and adhesive, and I'd like to see other manufacturers do the same. (I recall reading that they're moving more towards materials recycling and reclamation on the electronics side of things, too, though that seems like a slower process.) [1] - which did increase the rise of plastic films, as you note, but I wouldn't ascribe their lack of recycling to laziness but unclear instructions. Consumer recycling programs don't do a good job of explaining what they actually take, when they take things other than PET at all. Also as I understand it, recycling filter has gotten better about filtering films from waste streams, though it's not perfect.