Apple has an ambitious goal to create a fully carbon neutral value chain for its products by 2030, and every year it charts its progress in its annual Environmental Progress Report. The 2024 report published today highlights a milestone achievement for emissions.
Apple says its overall greenhouse gas emissions have more than halved since 2015, down 55%. However, there is still more work to be done as the company will need to attain a 75% reduction to meet its 2030 targets.
The reduction in emissions primarily derives from more of Apple’s supply chain switching to renewable clean energy sources for power, and reducing the amount of electricity used at these factories. Overall, supply chain facilities avoided almost 1.7 million metric tons of carbon emissions in 2023. And as of March 2024, more than 320 suppliers have committed to sourcing renewable electricity for Apple production processes.
Apple also praised its continuing work in recycling, and making new components out of recycled materials.
In 2023, 56% of cobalt in Apple batteries came from recycled sources, a 2x increase compared to the previous year. 24% of the lithium in the batteries was also from recycled source materials. The MacBook Air with M3, released in March, is the first ever Apple device to be made of >50% recycled material.
Improvements to repair processes also mean Apple devices are used for longer, before they become unusable waste. Apple noted how updates to the iPhone 15 internal design mean that more of the device is now repairable directly at Apple Stores. For instance, the back glass repair on all iPhone 15 models can now be done in store, resulting in a 70% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions per repair, compared to iPhone 14 Pro.
The company continues to reduce the amount of plastic used in packaging. The Apple Watch and Apple Vision Pro feature 100% fiber-based packaging.
You can read the full 2024 Environmental Report here. As well as information on supply chain green advancements, it also highlights how Apple is helping its users avoid greenhouse gas emissions with features like the Grid Forecast in the Home app, which charts when the grid is depending on cleaner energy sources. Clean Energy Charging is also available on iPhone in the US, which tries to intelligently charge the device when the grid is using greener energy.
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