Apple iPhone 11 Pro Midnight Green Version Is Eco-Friendlier Than Other Phones. Here's Why

The Apple iPhone 11 Pro, differentiates itself from the previous iteration of the device with many features, one of them being the wide color range, it is available in. One of the colors the device comes in is the Midnight Green color.

The color is made by the Japanese ink company Seiko Advance. During a tête-à-tête with suppliers, earlier this month, Apple CEO had praised the company’s craftsmanship and attention to detail.

Now, Seiko Advance has revealed to the Nikkei Asian Review how it has coordinated with Apple to produce the new colors for the iPhones. One of the facets of these colors it revealed was that the Midnight Green color does not contain harmful pollutants such as halogen. Generally, producing the green ink required for producing such colors results in pollutants. But Seiko Advance claims that it has created an environment-friendly technique to create an environment-friendly and more durable color.

Seiko Advance had been trying for years to get an Apple contract. The tech giant sets out hundreds of quality criteria for its phones, which only a few manufacturers are able to match up to. In 2011, it sent its sales manager to Apple to pitch its ink products. However, the company could not make the cut back then. After four years of effort, it finally started preparing black ink for iPhones.

It then developed a technique for developing environment-friendly colors using a cleanroom to control temperature and humidity.

Seiko Advance sales manager Yukinori Kabe credits development of the color to Apple CEO Tim Cook’s vision.

“Cook showed us his attitude to deal with any company with high technology. However small you are, Apple will be your customer if you have outstanding technology," he stated.

He recalls that the first time he visited Apple, it was a completely different world and was afraid that his company may not be able to meet Apple’s high standards. But, over time, the small company developed this technique and became the sole supplier of iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max colors.

The company competes with many suppliers including behemoths from China, which will be forever biting at its heels to get lucrative Apple contracts. However, dealing with Apple gives it a comfortable price window that lets it innovate and create such products.

"Chinese companies are rapidly catching up. If we fall into price competition, we will be in a very tough position. We need to maintain quality to win," Toshio Hiraguri, president, Seiko Advance, told Nikkei Asian Review.