Apple has announced that its manufacturing partners now support over 13 gigawatts of renewable energy globally, an increase of almost 30% over the last year. Apple has more than 250 suppliers working across 28 countries that have pledged to use renewable energy for all of the company’s production by 2030.
This is equivalent to more than 85% of the company’s direct manufacturing spend and more than 20 gigawatts in commitments. Already carbon neutral for its global corporate emissions, Apple is using innovative tools to achieve its 2030 target to be carbon neutral for every product. These include $4.7 billion in Green Bonds to expand clean energy solutions and emissions reductions worldwide.
In the past year, more than 40 manufacturing partners have joined Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program, and Apple has called on its suppliers to decarbonize all Apple-related operations, including sourcing 100% renewable electricity.
The company works closely with suppliers to implement solutions for clean energy and carbon reductions and offers a suite of free learning resources and live training through its Clean Energy Academy. Through their participation in the program, Apple’s suppliers are signaling demand for the expansion of renewable electricity capacity globally.
Apple supports about 1.5 gigawatts of renewable electricity around the world to power all corporate offices, data centers, and retail stores, spanning 44 countries. The company has also invested directly in nearly 500 megawatts of solar and wind in China and Japan to address upstream supply chain emissions.
Apple’s U.S.-based manufacturing partners are making steady progress toward renewable energy, with 27 suppliers in the Supplier Clean Energy Program finding success with a variety of approaches. Nearly 70 suppliers in China are now committed to 100% renewable electricity, and 30 European manufacturing partners are committed to clean energy, with six already achieving 100% renewable electricity for their Apple loads.
Apple has disbursed over $3.2 billion of the company’s $4.7 billion Green Bond commitment to date, including the total $2.5 billion of its first two bonds. So far, the company has allocated $700 million of the proceeds from the 2019 Green Bond to support 59 projects, including the development and distribution of clean energy training resources for suppliers and collaborative advocacy efforts in Japan, Vietnam, and South Korea.
“At Apple, we’re carbon neutral for our own operations and innovating every day to go even further in the urgent work to address climate change, with partners around the world, we’re adding even more renewable energy to power our global supply chain and investing in next-generation green technologies. The scale of this challenge is immense — but so is our determination to meet it.”
Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO
The Green Bonds are part of Apple’s broader commitment to become 100% carbon neutral across its entire supply chain and product life cycle by 2030. This includes reducing emissions by 75% and developing innovative solutions to remove carbon from the atmosphere.
Apple has been a leader in sustainability initiatives for many years, and its continued commitment to renewable energy is an example of how corporations can take action to address climate change. In addition to reducing its own carbon footprint, Apple is also using its influence to encourage its suppliers to adopt renewable energy and reduce their emissions.
The company’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In 2020, Apple was ranked as the most sustainable company in the world by Corporate Knights, a media and research company that evaluates corporate sustainability. Apple was praised for its ambitious environmental goals, its use of renewable energy, and its efforts to reduce waste and conserve resources.
As the world grapples with the challenges of climate change, Apple’s leadership in sustainability initiatives is a welcome example of how corporations can make a positive impact on the environment. With its commitment to renewable energy, the company is helping to drive the transition to a more sustainable future.
