Apple has announced expanded progress to decarbonize its global supply chain, with more than 300 manufacturers now committed to using 100% clean energy for their Apple production by 2030.
New commitments from more than 50 suppliers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia have driven recent growth in Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program, which now represents over 90 % of the company’s direct manufacturing spend, according to Sarah Chandler, Apple’s vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation. The milestone brings Apple closer to its goal to be carbon neutral across every product by 2030, she adds.
Already carbon neutral for its global corporate operations since 2020, Apple’s 2030 strategy is centered on the science-based target of reducing emissions by 75% by the end of the decade. Since 2015, Apple has worked in close partnership with its global suppliers to address the electricity used to manufacture Apple products.
Manufacturing is the single largest source of emissions in the company’s carbon footprint, and powering it with 100% clean energy is a key driver in making all Apple products carbon neutral — like those in the new Apple Watch lineup, Chandler says.
Suppliers operating in 28 countries have committed to bringing over 20 gigawatts of renewable energy online through Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program. Newly committed partners in advanced manufacturing technologies include Skyworks Solutions, Analog Devices, Cirrus Logic, and more in the U.S., and Renesas Electronics in Japan.
Chandler says the number of participating Korean suppliers has grown nearly 30% this year, to 23. In China, 14 more companies have pledged to use clean energy since April 2023, including Jingmen GEM, a supplier of key recycled material used in Apple products. Across Europe, companies including Sappi Limited, LeMur, and Schoeller Textil AG have recently joined, bringing the total to 34 suppliers.
Apple says it’s been tracking yearly progress on suppliers reducing their Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, and in the fall of 2022, the company called on suppliers to decarbonize their Apple production by 2030. In 2022, the 13.7 gigawatts of renewable electricity online in Apple’s supply chain avoided 17.4 million metric tons of carbon emissions — the equivalent of removing nearly 3.8 million cars from the road. With support from Apple to identify sources of high-quality renewable energy, many suppliers have also chosen to decarbonize beyond their Apple production.
Chandler says that, as a result of Apple’s environmental efforts, the company has cut its overall emissions by over 45% since 2015, even as its business has grown. Additional information on Apple’s environmental progress is available at apple.com/2030.
Article provided with permission from AppleWorld.Today