Apple today unveiled its plan to become carbon neutral across its entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product life cycle by 2030. The company is already carbon neutral today for its global corporate operations, and this new commitment means that by 2030, every Apple device sold will have net zero climate impact.

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Apple’s CEO Tim Cook said, “Businesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share. Climate action can be the foundation for a new era of innovative potential, job creation, and durable economic growth. With our commitment to carbon neutrality, we hope to be a ripple in the pond that creates a much larger change.”

Apple is providing detail on its approach to carbon neutrality with a roadmap for other companies, as industries look to reduce their impact on climate change. In its 2020 Environmental Progress Report which was released today. The tech giant has detailed its plans to reduce emissions by 75 percent by 2030 while developing innovative carbon removal solutions for the remaining 25 percent of its comprehensive footprint.

Apple’s 10-year roadmap will focus on lowering emissions by using a low carbon product design. Which means, Apple will continue to increase the use of low carbon and recycled materials in its products, innovate in product recycling and design products to be as energy efficient as possible. For this, Apple build a recycling robot called ‘Dave’ that disassembles the Taptic Engine from an iPhone to recover key materials such as rare earth magnets and tungsten while also enabling recovery of steel.

Apple said that it will also identify new ways to lower energy use at its corporate facilities and help its supply chain make the same transition. Through a new partnership with Apple, the US-China Green Fund will invest $100 million in accelerated energy efficiency projects for Apple’s suppliers. Other plans will include focusing on creating new projects and moving its entire supply chain to clean power, tackle emissions through technological improvements to processes and materials needed for its products. For instance, today the company announced that the first batch of this low carbon aluminium is currently being used in production intended for use with the 16-inch MacBook Pro

Apple is also establishing an Impact Accelerator that will focus on investing in minority-owned businesses that drive positive outcomes in its supply chain and in communities that are disproportionately affected by environmental hazards. This accelerator is part of Apple’s recently announced $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, focused on efforts that address education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform.

“We’re proud of our environmental journey and the ambitious roadmap we have set for the future,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “Systemic racism and climate change are not separate issues, and they will not abide separate solutions. We have a generational opportunity to help build a greener and more just economy, one where we develop whole new industries in the pursuit of giving the next generation a planet worth calling home.”

First Published:Jul 21, 2020 6:39 PM IST