In July 2020, Apple set an ambitious target of turning the company to 100 per cent carbon neutral across manufacturing and corporate operations, by the end of 2030.
Since then, Apple has made efforts to reduce the impact on the environment for producing its products. Several models of iPhones, iPads, Watches, Mac computers and even accessories are made of recycled materials.
Apple’s current line of flagship smart wearables– Watch Series 9 (review), Watch Ultra 2 and Watch SE 2 (new models on sale since Q4, 2023) are the world’s first carbon-neutral products. Apple has used clean energy and recycled materials from the start to the end covering- sourcing raw materials for the devices, to running the factory plants and reaching the hands of the customer.
Now, Apple has announced to further ramp up investments in clean energy and water in regions including India where its supply partners operate factories.
“Clean energy and water are foundational to healthy communities and essential building blocks for a responsible business. We’re racing toward our ambitious Apple 2030 climate goal while taking on the long-term work to transform electrical grids and restore watersheds to build a cleaner future for all,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.
Apple is investing in solar power generation projects in the US (Michigan) and Spain to produce around 132 megawatts and 105 megawatts of clean power in respective regions.
In India, Apple is collaborating with renewable developer CleanMax to build six rooftop solar projects with a total size of 14.4 megawatts of clean energy. The newly added projects will help power Apple’s offices, two retail stores, one in BKC Mumbai and the other in Saket (Delhi), and other operations in India.
So far, more than 320 supply partners of Apple around the world have pledged to use clean energy to run their plants and turn carbon neutral before the end of this decade.
And to address water security issues, Apple is investing in clean water replenishment works in Telangana and Maharashtra. It has also set up similar projects in Northern and Southern California, and Arizona’s Colorado River Basin.
In Northern California, Apple is working with River Partners to restore the natural function of the flood plain on 750 acres where the Sacramento River, Feather River, and Butte Creek meet.
Since 2023, Apple has so far committed over $8 million to replenishing fresh water in high-stress watersheds. The projects announced on Wednesday (April 17) are expected to deliver a combined 6.9 billion gallons of water benefits over the next two decades.
Last year, the Cupertino-based tech major worked with Frank Water, an NGO to improve water management in drought-prone villages of Anekal on the outskirts of Bengaluru, the Silicon Valley of India.
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(Published 17 April 2024, 15:18 IST)