Apple Set to Surpass its Clean Energy Goals with New Supplier Commitments

Global tech-major, Apple has revealed that it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers that have committed to run their Apple production on 100 percent clean energy, bringing the total number to 44.

Because of this partnership between Apple and its suppliers, the California-based tech company will exceed its goal of bringing 4 GW of renewable energy into its supply chain by 2020, with over an additional gigawatt projected within that timeframe. This comes one year after the company announced that all of its global facilities are powered by 100 percent renewable energy.

“Every time one of our suppliers joins us in our efforts to address climate change, we move closer to a better future for the next generation,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We’ve made it a priority to hold our suppliers accountable to the same environmental standards we observe and hope that our collaboration will show others what is possible. While we are proud of our announcement today, we won’t stop driving change within our industry to support the clean energy transition happening globally.”

Apple reduced its comprehensive carbon footprint for the third year in a row in 2018, in large part due to the company’s Supplier Clean Energy Program. Manufacturing makes up 74 percent of Apple’s carbon footprint, so the program helps its suppliers increase energy efficiency and transition to renewable energy sources. Last year, Apple and its suppliers participated in clean energy generation that roughly equaled the electricity needed to power over 600,000 homes in the US.

The company has further expanded its supplier education and support initiatives, including through its Clean Energy Portal, an online platform to help suppliers identify renewable energy sources globally. Over 100 suppliers have already registered to participate in the site. It also launched a first-of-its-kind fund with 10 of its suppliers last year to help finance renewable energy projects in China.

The company also announced major progress to address environmental solutions by allocating all $2.5 billion in green bonds it previously announced, the largest of any US corporation. Through its now-completed $2.5 billion Green Bond allocations, the company has contributed to 40 environmental initiatives around the world. That includes projects Apple has created to cover its entire electricity load — as of January 2019, approximately 66 percent of the renewable energy Apple uses comes from such endeavours.

Apple’s Green Bonds are also notable for the number of areas of environmental research and innovation they support. Projects include solar rooftops in Japan, an aquifer to conserve water in Oregon and the creation of a custom alloy made of 100 percent recycled Aluminium that is now found in the newest MacBook Air and Mac mini.