Apple expands renewable energy with global suppliers

Apple on Wednesday announced that its manufacturing partners now support over 13 gigawatts of renewable electricity around the world, a nearly 30 percent increase in the last year.

In total, more than 250 suppliers operating across 28 countries and regions are committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030. This represents more than 85 percent of the company's direct manufacturing spend and more than 20 gigawatts in commitments, the company said.

Already carbon neutral for its global corporate emissions, Apple uses innovative tools to support progress toward its 2030 goal to be carbon neutral for every product. This includes 4.7 billion U.S. dollars in Green Bonds, which are helping finance the expansion of clean energy solutions and emissions reductions around the world, according to the announcement.

"At Apple, we're carbon neutral for our own operations and innovating every day to go even further in the urgent work to address climate change," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.

More than 40 manufacturing partners joined Apple's Supplier Clean Energy Program in the last year. Apple has called on its suppliers to decarbonize all Apple-related operations, including sourcing 100 percent renewable electricity.

"Our new supplier commitments demonstrate the rapid pace of progress we're making toward our 2030 carbon neutrality goal," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives.

Through their participation in the Supplier Clean Energy Program, Apple's suppliers are signaling demand for the expansion of renewable electricity capacity around the world. Since 2019, the operational renewable energy across Apple's global supply chain has expanded five times over, now totaling 13.7 gigawatts. This equated to 17.4 million metric tons of avoided carbon emissions last year.

Apple also supports about 1.5 gigawatts of renewable electricity around the world to power all corporate offices, data centers, and retail stores, spanning 44 countries and regions. The company has also invested directly in nearly 500 megawatts of solar and wind in China and Japan to address upstream supply chain emissions. Nearly 70 suppliers in China are now committed to 100 percent renewable electricity, the company said.