April 17, 2024
UPDATE
Apple ramps up funding in clear power and water world wide
Collectively, Apple and suppliers are supporting over 18 gigawatts of unpolluted power and delivering billions of gallons in water advantages and financial savings
Apple right this moment introduced new progress to broaden clear power world wide and advance momentum towards Apple 2030, the corporate’s daring objective to be carbon impartial throughout its total worth chain by the tip of this decade. Greater than 18 gigawatts of unpolluted electrical energy now energy Apple’s international operations and manufacturing provide chain, greater than triple the quantity in 2020. Apple is making new investments in solar energy within the U.S. and Europe to assist deal with the electrical energy clients use to cost and energy their Apple gadgets.
As a part of its broader environmental efforts, Apple additionally superior progress towards one other formidable 2030 objective: to replenish 100% of the recent water utilized in company operations in high-stress places. This consists of launching new partnerships to ship practically 7 billion gallons in water advantages — from restoring aquifers and rivers, to funding entry to consuming water — over the subsequent 20 years. As with clear power, Apple has prolonged its dedication to scrub water throughout your complete provide chain: Collectively, Apple suppliers saved over 12 billion gallons of recent water final yr, for a complete of 76 billion gallons in water financial savings because the firm launched its Provider Clear Water Program in 2013.
“Clear power and water are foundational to wholesome communities and important constructing blocks for a accountable enterprise,” mentioned Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice chairman of Setting, Coverage, and Social Initiatives. “We’re racing towards our formidable Apple 2030 local weather objective whereas taking up the long-term work to remodel electrical grids and restore watersheds to construct a cleaner future for all.”
Including New Renewable Capability Across the World
Electrical energy — each to fabricate Apple merchandise and to cost and energy them — makes up the most important portion of Apple’s complete carbon footprint. As a part of Apple 2030, the corporate has referred to as on its international suppliers to make use of clear electrical energy and turn into carbon impartial throughout all their Apple-related operations. Over 320 suppliers — representing 95 p.c of Apple’s direct manufacturing spend — have led the way in which within the transition to this point, leading to 16.5 gigawatts of renewable power on-line in Apple’s provide chain right this moment. This generated over 25.5 million megawatt-hours of unpolluted power throughout the provision chain final yr, avoiding over 18.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions.
To handle the greenhouse fuel emissions related to clients utilizing their gadgets, Apple has pledged to match each watt of charging electrical energy with clear electrical energy by 2030, together with by means of large-scale investments in new renewable power in markets world wide. That is a part of a broader technique to attenuate emissions from using Apple merchandise by means of effectivity enhancements, partaking with clients round alternatives to decarbonize the grid, and constructing clear electrical energy tasks that maximize carbon reductions and social influence. Within the U.S., Apple is investing in a portfolio of photo voltaic tasks throughout Michigan, with development underway to deliver 132 megawatts of unpolluted power on-line later this yr. In Spain, Apple has partnered with worldwide photo voltaic growth platform ib vogt on an funding that may generate 105 megawatts of solar energy when the venture comes on-line by the tip of 2024.
To handle its rising company operations in India, Apple has additionally launched into a three way partnership with main renewable developer CleanMax to spend money on a portfolio of six rooftop photo voltaic tasks with a complete measurement of 14.4 megawatts. The added capability gives a neighborhood answer to energy Apple’s workplaces, its two retail shops within the nation, and different operations in India. Apple first achieved 100% renewable power for its international company operations in 2018.
Apple’s dedication to renewable power has unlocked new capability in markets world wide. In 2018, Apple took an modern strategy to attach 12 of its suppliers working in China with renewable power sources by means of the China Clear Power Fund. The Fund has now exceeded its objective, with investments leading to over 1 gigawatt of latest wind and photo voltaic tasks in China throughout 14 provinces. In mixture, these tasks are anticipated to ship over 2,400 gigawatt-hours of renewable power annually, equal to the residential energy consumption of over 2.5 million folks in China.
Advancing Water Resilience By way of Nature-Based mostly Options
Apple goals to advance water safety all over the place its enterprise reaches by means of collaboration throughout the manufacturing provide chain and modern long-term partnerships to revive ecosystems, deal with neighborhood water wants, and enhance local weather resilience of watersheds. Since water impacts are felt regionally, Apple has initiated recent water replenishment work in among the highest-stress places the place the corporate operates — together with Northern and Southern California, Arizona’s Colorado River Basin, and the Indian states of Telangana and Maharashtra. Modeled after the corporate’s strategy to renewable power procurement, Apple is pursuing modern methods and long-term contracts geared toward delivering water advantages and financial savings throughout total watersheds. Since 2023, Apple has to this point dedicated over $8 million to replenishing recent water in high-stress watersheds. The tasks introduced right this moment are anticipated to ship a mixed 6.9 billion gallons of water advantages over the subsequent twenty years.
In Northern California, Apple is working with River Companions to revive the pure perform of the flood plain on 750 acres the place the Sacramento River, Feather River, and Butte Creek meet. This confluence of waterways — the most important in California — provides a vital resting level for native Chinook salmon alongside their path to the Pacific Ocean. Restoring the world will contain planting lots of of 1000’s of native crops and reconnecting the huge historic flood plain, making the area and downstream communities extra resilient to climate-driven flooding. Apple’s funding is anticipated to leverage practically 5 billion gallons of freshwater advantages over 20 years by considerably lowering water demand on the property and inspiring wholesome flood patterns to recharge underground aquifers. The restoration of Dos Rios Norte can be funded by the California Division of Fish and Wildlife, the California Pure Assets Company, the California Wildlife Conservation Board, and the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Within the better Phoenix space, dwelling to Apple’s Mesa information heart, Apple is working with Salt River Undertaking (SRP) to guard roughly 30,000 acres of forest at extreme threat of wildfire. With a 10-year plan to strategically skinny forests within the Colorado River Basin, the venture will assist shield the watershed from being devastated by wildfires and make sure the upstream reservoir can proceed to assist native communities. Apple’s funding — the most important funding with SRP’s Resilient Water and Forest Initiative — is anticipated to ship practically 2 billion gallons of water advantages within the space.
Final yr, Apple achieved its goal for 100% water replenishment for the corporate’s company operations in India by means of its ongoing work with Uptime Catalyst Facility. In 2023, Apple’s assist supplied 23 million gallons of unpolluted, inexpensive consuming water to communities from over 300 water kiosks run by native entrepreneurs within the modern performance-based program. Progress in one other vital area — Southern California — continues with a venture to take away the invasive Arundo donax cane species within the Los Angeles River Watershed, saving 21 million gallons of water yearly.
Along with pursuing watershed restoration and different nature-based replenishment options in high-stress areas, Apple is dedicated to sensible water stewardship throughout the enterprise. In 2021, Apple’s information heart in Prineville, Oregon, grew to become the first-ever information heart licensed to the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS) Worldwide Water Stewardship Normal, a trusted international framework for measuring accountable water stewardship. Since then, Apple has licensed 4 extra information facilities to the Normal and supported 20 provider websites in reaching certification as properly. Previously yr, seven provider websites in southern India and over 20 provider websites close to Shanghai and Suzhou in China have participated in water stewardship coaching with AWS and others within the trade.
Accelerating Progress By way of Inexperienced Investments
Within the U.S. and world wide, Apple’s Inexperienced Bonds have additionally helped make these new investments potential. Final yr, Apple allotted proceeds from its 2019 Inexperienced Bond towards new clear power tasks like the brand new photo voltaic tasks in Michigan and the IP Radian Photo voltaic venture in Texas, assist for the Provider Clear Power Program, and investments in high-quality carbon elimination by means of the Restore Fund. Since 2016, Apple has issued a complete of $4.7 billion in Inexperienced Bonds, with roughly $3.4 billion allotted to this point.
For extra info on Apple’s Inexperienced Bond efforts, go to investor.apple.com/Apple_GreenBond_Report. This yr’s annual influence report covers the cumulative allocation of Apple’s 2019 Inexperienced Bond proceeds to environmental tasks that incurred spend between September 29, 2019, and September 30, 2023 — Apple’s 2023, 2022, 2021, and 2020 fiscal years. Sustainalytics supplied a second-party opinion on the chosen tasks, and Ernst & Younger LLP supplied an attestation report on the spend.
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Apple
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Apple
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