Apple’s environmental claims have again come under the microscope, just a few weeks after Greenpeace criticized the company’s annual product cycles for driving carbon emissions.
While a new report also accuses Apple of exaggerating its environmental credentials, it does acknowledge that the Cupertino company is far ahead of its tech rivals …
Apple’s environmental claims under fire
Greenpeace last month accused Apple of encouraging a rapid turnover of products, with a correspondingly high environmental cost.
With each new iPhone release, tens of millions of people around the world are enticed to upgrade, even if the changes are relatively minor […]
If Apple was truly prioritizing the environment, it might encourage extended device use and consider lengthening the time between major releases.
The product lifecycle is a huge issue, says Greenpeace, because even Apple admits that of the total lifetime carbon emissions of an iPhone, about 80% of it is during production.
Apple has biggest GHG reduction pledge
A new report agrees that Apple exaggerates its green credentials, but says that it does significantly more than other tech giants.
Stand.earth compared Apple, Dell, Google, HP, Microsoft, and Nvidia. It says that all but Nvidia have pledged to reduce absolute global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within their supply chains by 2030, with Apple’s commitment by far the greatest.
The reason the report stresses the word “absolute” is because Apple’s declared 0% target includes offsetting, which Stand says is “problematic.”
Some IT companies heavily rely on unbundled Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) to claim carbon neutrality. This is problematic because it potentially masks actual carbon emissions and a continued reliance on, and demand for, fossil fuels.
Apple supports its suppliers in their pledges
The iPhone maker was also singled out for providing meaningful assistance to its suppliers.
Only Apple has reported taking meaningful steps to provide financial support, knowledge transfer, or incentives to assist in the energy transition. Engaging with suppliers is crucial, but without substantial financial support and adequate knowledge transfer, the transition to renewable energy
The Verge reports that the group’s global climate policy lead, Gary Cook, says other companies need to do the same.
It’s the only company among the six tech giants that has set targets for its suppliers to switch to renewable energy. “Other brands need to send similarly clear signals to their suppliers” […]
“While Apple may be too quick to claim their products are ‘carbon neutral,’ they are the only ones who are both setting a strong example in how they are moving their own operations off of fossil fuels, and working aggressively to get their suppliers on a path to be 100% renewably powered by 2030,” Cook said.
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