Apple says that it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers that have committed to run their Apple production on 100% clean energy — bringing the total number to 44. Because of this partnership between Apple and its suppliers, Apple 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.
Last year, Apple announced that all of its global facilities are powered by 100% renewable energy. Now, the company expects to exceed its goal of bringing 4 GW of renewables into its supply chain by 2020.
“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 VP 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% of Apple’s carbon footprint, so the program helps its suppliers increase energy efficiency and transition to renewable energy sources. Just 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 U.S.
Apple 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 U.S. 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, about 66% of the renewable energy Apple uses comes from such endeavors.
Apple’s Green Bonds are also notable for the number of areas of environmental research and innovation they support.
Filed Under: News, Policy
