Apple Going Green(er)

While green apples are unquestionably the worst of all apple varieties (even the name Granny Smith sounds unapeeling), one specific Apple is looking to become greener. 

What happened: Apple recently announced that more of its suppliers were committing to renewable energy and they’re on track for their target to fully decarbonize by 2030.

• Apple’s own operations have been carbon neutral since 2020, but the company is aiming to have its entire supply chain carbon neutral by 2030. 

The company has suppliers from over 28 countries, and these suppliers now support 13 gigawatts of renewable energy – a 30 percent increase from the year prior. The number of suppliers that have pledged to use renewable energy has also increased, from 213 to 250, and make up ~85 percent of their manufacturing spend.

What else is it doing? The company added a controversial new feature in the United States last October for “Clean Energy Charging”. It hadn’t disclosed how it works, but based on your local energy grid, it will charge your phone when the grid is forecasted to have lower carbon emissions. 

Samsung, the second largest smartphone manufacturer, has also set an emissions target and aims to be carbon neutral by 2050. They have committed to investing $5 billion by 2030 to reach their target.

Zoom out: There will always be the Apple vs. Android debate, but with 85 percent of the world owning a smartphone and Apple’s growing popularity with kids these days, there is opportunity for consumers to affect carbon emissions based on their purchasing decisions.