Tech giant, Apple, has announced that its suppliers have more than doubled their use of renewable energy over the last year, with over ten gigawatts (GW) operational today out of nearly 16 GW in total commitments in the coming years.
In 2021, these renewable projects claim to have avoided 13.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and projects online today hope to support greenhouse gas reductions equivalent to removing 3 million cars from the road for one year.
Apple says that it is constantly working with its global supply chain to accelerate and support its transition to clean energy. As of today, 213 of the company’s major manufacturing partners have pledged to power all Apple production with renewable electricity across 25 countries. Dozens of new commitments hope to accelerate progress toward Apple’s 2030 goal to become carbon neutral across its entire supply chain. Apple says that it has been carbon neutral for its global operations since 2020.
“We are proud that so many of our manufacturing partners have joined our urgent work to address the climate crisis by generating more renewable energy around the world,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “Clean energy is good for business and good for the planet. By sharing what we learned in our own transition to renewables, we are helping point the way to a greener future.”
In addition to clean energy commitments made by 213 manufacturing partners, Apple has invested in renewable projects around the world, including nearly 500 megawatts (MW) of solar and other renewable projects in China and Japan to cover a portion of upstream emissions. To support businesses in their transition to clean power, Apple shares data and offers training materials with market-specific information. These resources have helped spur new clean energy solutions across the globe.
In Europe, 11 new suppliers have made clean energy commitments over the last year, including Infineon, Viscom AG, and Lumileds, bringing the total to 25 European companies. They are deploying a range of clean energy solutions, including Infineon utilising on-site solar in Germany and Austria, and DSM Engineering Materials supporting a wind project in the Netherlands. Apple has already supported two Danish renewable energy projects, including a large solar park near Thisted and a wind farm near Esbjerg, both of which power Apple’s data centre in the country. The company is also looking at new steps to address customer product use across the region.
In the US, Apple is investing directly in the 2,300-acre IP Radian Solar project in Brown County, Texas. The project will generate 300 MW of electricity once construction is completed later this year. Apple made this investment to help address the electricity customers use to charge their Apple devices, which represents 22 per cent of the company’s gross carbon footprint.
