Apple today announced 44 of its suppliers have committed to using 100 percent renewable energy in their production of its gadgets as the Cupertino giant spent $2.5 billion in green bonds on environmental initiatives, the largest amount of any US corporation.
Furthermore, the iPhone maker will create an additional gigawatt on top of the four gigawatts of renewable energy it’s committed to bringing into its supply chain by 2020.
Apple suppliers use a mix of clean energy technology, including wind and solar. The company has funded as many as 28 environmental projects through its green bond allocations, with 66 percent of the renewable energy it uses coming from these projects.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives:
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. 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.
Here are the key takeaways:
- 40 environmental initiatives have been funded so far through the now-completed $2.5 billion in Apple green bond allocations
- As of January 2019, 66 percent of the renewable energy Apple uses came from clean energy projects funded through green bonds
- Some of Apple’s green bond projects include:
- Solar rooftops in Japan
- An aquifer to conserve water in Oregon
- A custom alloy created for the new MacBook Air and Mac mini made of 100 percent recycled aluminum
- Apple’s reduced its carbon footprint for the third year in a row in 2018
- In 2018, the Cupertino company and its suppliers managed to created clean energy equaling the electricity needed to power more than 600,000 homes in the United States
- 100+ suppliers have registered on Apple’s dedicated Clean Energy Portal
Just a year ago, the Cupertino giant announced that all of its global facilities, including corporate offices and brick-and-mortar stores, are powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
For more on Apple’s environmental efforts, visit apple.com/environment.