Skip to main content

Apple profiled for renewable energy in sapphire factory, says supply-chain is now the focus

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHsXH6CO8Tg]

After showing more journalists around its solar-powered North Carolina data center (where it is building a third solar farm), Apple says that its new focus for renewable energy is its supply chain. The Guardian reports that the sapphire factory in Arizona forms part of this initiative.

The company is also moving to install solar and geothermal power at a plant in Mesa, Arizona that has been manufacturing sapphire glass. Apple would not directly comment on the Arizona factory but the state’s governor, Jan Brewer, has publicly praised the company’s decision to relocate there and to use solar and geothermal in manufacturing.

Apple’s VP of environmental initiatives Lisa Jackson said that the company is conscious that its supply chain cannot claim the same green credentials as Apple itself … 

We know that our customers expect us to do the right thing […]

We are aware that almost 70% of our carbon footprint is in our supply chain. We are actively working on the facilities that we have here in the United States.

Apple has long been criticized for using suppliers who rely on dirty energy and pollute the environment. While the current initiative will be welcomed, it is notable that Apple is so far referring only to manufacturing facilities within the USA.

Apple’s corporate renewables record is, however, viewed as exemplary – even by former critics like Greenpeace.

“They are the gold standard in the state right now,” said David Pomerantz, a senior Greenpeace campaigner. “There are a lot of data centers in North Carolina and definitely none has moved as aggressively as Apple has to power with renewable energy,” he said.

Lisa Jackson said back in April that 94 percent of its data centers are corporate campuses are now powered by renewable energy, as are 120 of its U.S. stores.

FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.

You’re reading 9to5Mac — experts who break news about Apple and its surrounding ecosystem, day after day. Be sure to check out our homepage for all the latest news, and follow 9to5Mac on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn to stay in the loop. Don’t know where to start? Check out our exclusive stories, reviews, how-tos, and subscribe to our YouTube channel

Comments

  1. Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

    Reblogged this on Taste of Apple and commented:
    They’ve definitely taken it up a notch and seem to have succeeded in their goals. It will be interesting to see how many other companies will try to match what they’ve been able to accomplish so far.

    • Edison Wrzosek - 10 years ago

      While I would LOVE to see the adoption of renewable energy increase dramatically, unfortunately most companies are very bottom-line driven, and if there’s no financial incentive, or worse, criminal liability, to encourage them to act, most will simply sit on their behinds and maintain the status quo. Apple is one of the few companies to take such a commanding renewable energy initiative, and (to my knowledge) the ONLY company to achieve a 100% renewable energy supply for their cloud infrastructure. The closest competitor is I believe Microsoft with something like 35% renewable energy usage for their Azure services, though don’t quote me on that as I may have those numbers wrong…

      • Taste_of_Apple - 10 years ago

        Regardless of specific numbers, you are very right. Sadly, this isn’t much of a focal point for many companies. I’m proud that Apple is leading, but I sincerely hope that more companies follow suit.

Author

Avatar for Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer and EU Editor for 9to5Mac. He’s known for his op-eds and diary pieces, exploring his experience of Apple products over time, for a more rounded review. He also writes fiction, with two technothriller novels, a couple of SF shorts and a rom-com!


Ben Lovejoy's favorite gear