Technology giant Apple has announced a carbon-neutral pledge that will see the company go carbon-neutral by 2030.
The carbon-neutral pledge applies to all areas of its sales, manufacturing and distribution supply chains, with Apple stating it hopes to sell devices with “zero climate impact.”
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Apple has said that any of its suppliers that haven’t already, will need to be “100% renewable for their Apple production” within 10 years, otherwise risking their contract.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook has said that “businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of common concern for the planet we share.”
“The innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet – they’ve helped us make our products more energy efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world”
Cook continued to explain that “climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth. With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change.”
It comes as Apple releases its Environmental Progress Report, which provides a roadmap for the company to reach total carbon-neutrality by 2030.
Apple plans to reduce its emissions footprint by 75% by 2030, with innovations in carbon removal technology slated to cover that remaining 25%.
Apple’s 10-Year Roadmap:
- Apple will increase the use of low-carbon and recycled materials in its products, and increase its product recycling programs.
- All iPhone, Mac and Apple Watch devices are made from recycled materials, including a 100% recycled Taptic Engine – an industry first, according to Apple.
- The company has created a robot called ‘Dave’, which recovers rare earth minerals from products to be recycled in new products.
- Apple’s Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas has teamed up with Carnegie Mellon University to develop new recycling strategies.
- The company’s carbon footprint has shrunk by 4.3 million metric tonnes in the past 12-months, with a 73% reduction in energy needed to produce products over the past 11 years.
- $100 million invested in the US-China Green Fund, established to accelerate environmentally-conscious projects for Apple suppliers.
- Apple will remain at 100% renewable energy for its operations, and is expected to transition its entire supply chain to renewables.
- Apple has secured 70 agreements with suppliers to move to 100% renewable energy for production of Apple components; expected to save 14.3 million tonnes of CO2 each year.
- Globally, Apple is launching solar farms in Scandinavia, the Philippines and Thailand.
- In the US, Apple has completed projects in Arizona, Oregon and Illinois, bringing its renewable energy production capacity to 1GW; enough to power 150,000 homes a year.
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“We’re proud of our environmental journey and the ambitious roadmap we have set for the future,” Lisa Jackosn, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiative said.
“Systemic racism and climate change are not separate issues, and they will not abide separate solutions. We have a generational opportunity to help build a greener and more just economy, one where we develop whole new industries in the pursuit of giving the next generation a planet worth calling home.”
