Apple cuts greenhouse gas emissions in half

Apple Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions in Half

April 18, 2024

UPDATE

Innovations in clean energy, materials, and recycling are driving progress toward Apple’s ambitious environmental goals

Apple has reduced its overall greenhouse gas emissions by more than 55 percent since 2015, the company shared today in its 2024 Environmental Progress Report. The milestone marks important progress on the journey toward Apple 2030, the company’s ambitious goal to become carbon neutral across its entire value chain by the end of this decade. The goal centers on cutting emissions by 75 percent from 2015 levels.

“The proof of Apple’s commitment to climate action is in our progress: We’ve slashed emissions by more than half, all while serving more users than ever before,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. “More hard work is ahead of us, and we’re focused on harnessing the power of innovation and collaboration to maximize our impact.”

Teams across Apple and its global supply chain have contributed to Apple 2030 and the company’s environmental efforts, driving innovations in clean energy and energy efficiency, materials, carbon removal, water stewardship, zero waste, and recycling. As Apple celebrates Earth Day with its customers around the world — including through curated environment-focused collections on podcasts, books, and more — here’s a look at 10 innovations, partnerships, and activities engaging customers and advancing global climate and environmental progress.

1. Paving the Way for Recycled Critical Materials

   Apple’s work toward making products using only recycled and renewable materials has spurred innovation in sourcing and design — while driving major reductions in the company’s carbon footprint. This includes materials critical to the clean energy transition. Last year, 56 percent of the cobalt shipped in Apple batteries came from recycled sources, more than double the year before.¹ That includes the MacBook Air with M3, the first-ever Apple product to be made with 50 percent recycled material. And in another first, 24 percent of the lithium shipped in Apple batteries last year came from certified recycled sources. For both lithium and cobalt, Apple is sourcing from post-industrial scrap and post-consumer scrap from end-of-life batteries. The company has also made strides with copper, using 100 percent recycled copper in key thermal applications in iPhone 15 and the 16-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the Taptic Engine and printed circuit boards across many product lines in the last year. The progress demonstrates real potential for recycling to help meet the growing demand for critical materials in the future.

2. Slashing Manufacturing Emissions with Suppliers

   The ongoing transition to clean electricity across Apple’s supply chain has driven the majority of emissions reductions so far, with Apple’s Supplier Clean Energy Program now supporting over 16.5 gigawatts of renewable energy around the world. And by prioritizing energy efficiency in collaboration with Apple, more than 100 supplier facilities achieved over 2 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity savings last year. Together with additional energy savings — primarily associated with heat — these facilities avoided nearly 1.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions, up 25 percent from 2022. Apple is also working to address the direct climate impact of industrial processes, such as the manufacturing of flat-panel displays, which emits highly potent fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs). Every display supplier has committed to a high standard of F-GHG abatement, and Apple is engaging with them to track emissions and deploy state-of-the-art abatement equipment at manufacturing sites.

3. Designing to Remove Plastic

   Apple’s journey to remove plastic from its packaging is fueled by innovation, using fiber-based plastic alternatives that still provide an unmatched unboxing experience for customers. In the last year, Apple reached a milestone with the release of its first-ever 100 percent fiber-based packaging in the new Apple Watch lineup and for Apple Vision Pro. Across every product Apple shipped last year, only 3 percent of the packaging was made from plastic. Teams continue to innovate — this week, Apple published a new white paper with the University of British Columbia’s BioProducts Institute that analyzes the challenges with current consumer packaging and explores more sustainable future solutions through the use of advanced fiber-based materials. And in partnership with RISE Research Institutes of Sweden, Apple announced the development of a fiber-based alternative to the protective foams widely used in many types of packaging.

4. Partnering with Communities to Drive Change

   As Apple accelerates work to address climate change, the company is also focused on supporting efforts led by communities experiencing disproportionate impacts. Through its Strengthen Local Communities program, Apple is providing a series of new grants to organizations worldwide that are taking action to protect the health and wellbeing of their communities. In the U.S., Apple is also supporting the growth of Justice Outside’s Network for Network Leaders program to promote the outdoors, environmental education, and environmental justice. Apple has also worked with the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya to support water harvesting and climate-smart agriculture by funding a rainwater catchment system at the Lewa school in Mutunyi and drip irrigation kits for farmers working to encourage more sustainable agriculture practices in their communities. This year, the company will build on this work with new support for Lewa’s community water access programs. And in Australia, Apple will extend its funding for the Karrkad Kanjdji Trust (KKT), an organization led by the traditional owners of Warddeken and Djelk Indigenous protected areas. Apple’s grant will support KKT’s Indigenous Women Rangers Program and conservation activities across the protected areas.

5. Spurring Industrywide Change with Reusable Filters

   As part of the company’s commitment to zero waste, last year Apple completed the installation of reusable air filters at every one of its data centers worldwide

   SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   • SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
   • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
   • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
   • SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production
   • SDG 13: Climate Action
   • SDG 15: Life on Land
   • SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   • Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
   • Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
   • Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.
   • Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
   • Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.
   • Target 17.6: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources.

   3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   • Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
   • Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.
   • Indicator 11.6.1: Proportion of urban solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid waste generated, by cities.
   • Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.
   • Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a manner that does not threaten food production.
   • Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.
   • Indicator 17.6.1: Number of science and/or technology cooperation agreements and programmes between countries in support of sustainable development and capacity-building.

   SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy	Target 7.2: Increase substantially the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.	Indicator 7.2.1: Renewable energy share in the total final energy consumption.
   SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure	Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.	Indicator 9.4.1: CO2 emission per unit of value added.
   SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities	Target 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.	Indicator 11.6.1: Proportion of urban solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid waste generated, by cities.
   SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production	Target 12.2: By 2030, achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.	Indicator 12.2.1: Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP.
   SDG 13: Climate Action	Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.	Indicator 13.2.1: Number of countries that have communicated the establishment or operationalization of an integrated policy/strategy/plan which increases their ability to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, and foster climate resilience and low greenhouse gas emissions development in a manner that does not threaten food production.
   SDG 15: Life on Land	Target 15.2: Promote the implementation of sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally.	Indicator 15.2.1: Progress towards sustainable forest management.
   SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals	Target 17.6: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology, and financial resources.	Indicator 17.6.1: Number of science and/or technology cooperation agreements and programmes between countries in support of sustainable development and capacity-building.

   Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.

   Source: apple.com

    

   

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