Apple Pushes For Mercury-free Cover Glass By 2028
Apr 04, 2026
Apple's latest supplier responsibility report dropped a quiet bomb. The company wants all cover glass used in its products to be mercury-free by the end of 2028.
Why mercury? Traditional flat-panel display glass uses mercury-based catalysts in the fusion draw process. The amount is tiny - micrograms per panel. But it adds up. Apple shipped 220 million iPhones in 2025. That is a lot of mercury.
Corning is Apple's main glass supplier for iPhones. Sources say Corning has been working on a mercury-free formulation since 2023. The challenge is maintaining the same viscosity window during forming. Without mercury, the glass hardens too fast, creating wave distortion.
SCHOTT already offers a mercury-free glass for wearables. AGC claims its new "CleanArc" process eliminates mercury entirely. Both are courting Apple for future orders.
Corning has two years left on its exclusive iPhone glass deal. That deal expires after the iPhone 19 cycle in 2027. Apple rarely renews exclusives. Expect a multi-source bidding war in 2027 with mercury-free status as a non-negotiable requirement.
The winner gets billions in revenue. The losers get relegated to Android flagships. This is the biggest cover glass battle since Gorilla Glass launched in 2007.
