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. 鈥淏usinesses have a profound opportunity to help build a more sustainable future, one born of our common concern for the planet we share,鈥� said Tim Cook, Apple鈥檚 CEO. 鈥淭he innovations powering our environmental journey are not only good for the planet 鈥� they鈥檝e helped us make our products more energy efficient and bring new sources of clean energy online around the world. 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.鈥�
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 鈥� released today 鈥� Apple details 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.
To support these efforts and beyond, Apple is 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鈥檚 recently announced $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, focused on efforts that address education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform.
鈥淲e鈥檙e proud of our environmental journey and the ambitious roadmap we have set for the future,鈥� said Lisa Jackson, Apple鈥檚 vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. 鈥淪ystemic 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.鈥�听
Apple鈥檚 Climate Roadmap
Apple鈥檚 10-year roadmap will lower emissions with a series of innovative actions, including:
- Low carbon product design:听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.
- Apple鈥檚 latest recycling innovation 鈥� a robot the company is calling 鈥淒ave鈥� 鈥� disassembles the Taptic Engine from iPhone to better recover key materials such as rare earth magnets and tungsten while also enabling recovery of steel, the next step following its line of 鈥淒aisy鈥� iPhone disassembly robots.
- The company鈥檚 Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas, which is focused on innovative electronics recycling technology, is now partnering with Carnegie Mellon University to further develop engineering solutions.
- All iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch devices released in the past year are made with recycled content, including 100 percent recycled rare earth elements in the iPhone Taptic Engine 鈥� a first for Apple and for any smartphone.