Apple’s suppliers are now using over 10 gigawatts of renewable energy out of nearly 16 gigawatts in total commitments in the coming years. The tech giant reports it has successfully driven its supply chain to double its use of clean energy over the past year, en route to its commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2030.
According to the company, its renewable projects prevented an estimated 13.9 million metric tons of carbon emissions, and its current initiatives will support GHG (greenhouse gas) reductions equivalent to 3 million cars from the road for one year.
“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, vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives, Apple.
“Clean energy is good for business and good for the planet. By sharing what we learned in our transition to renewables, we are helping point the way to a greener future.”
In addition to its clean energy commitments, it is also investing directly in multiple renewable projects worldwide.
In Europe, suppliers deploy a range of renewable energy solutions, including utilising on-site solar in Germany and Austria and DSM Engineering Materials supporting a wind project in the Netherlands. The tech company has already completed two Danish projects, including a solar park near Thisted and a wind farm near Esbjerg, which power its data centre in the country.
While in the US, the company has invested in a 2300-acre IP Radian Solar project in Brown County, Texas. The project will generate 300 megawatts of electricity once completed. The company says it has done this project to help address the electricity its customers use to charge their devices, representing 22 per cent of its gross carbon footprint.
In China, nearly all of the company’s leading suppliers headquartered in the country have committed to using clean energy for production, with many building on-site solar while supporting the country’s transition to renewable energy.
Japan’s options for clean power are emerging for more businesses as power purchase power agreements have become more available. Twenty new suppliers have committed to clean energy in the past year, including Kioxia and Sharp. Other suppliers have invested in on-site solar, and Kwiwa is handling its Apple load with power from a wind project outside Tokyo.
The company reports it has also invested in solar projects in the Philippines, South Africa, and Columbia to provide electricity to communities facing energy challenges, while it continues to expand the program to other countries, including Nigeria, Thailand, Israel, and Vietnam.
Today, 213 of the company’s major manufacturing partners have pledged to power all production with renewable electricity across 25 countries.
