Apple Just Announced Its Plan to Be Carbon Neutral by 2030
Today, Apple unveiled a big new initiative focused on addressing climate change: It plans to be carbon neutral by the year 2030—just 10 years from now. That includes the company's entire business, manufacturing supply chain, and product lifecycle.
Lisa Jackson, Apple's VP of environment, policy, and social initiatives (who also used to work for the Obama administration), announced the plan via a Zoom press event, saying it had been “about 10 years in the making and will take 10 years to complete.” She noted that the company is already carbon neutral for its global corporate operations, but come 2030, every Apple device “will be produced with net zero climate impact.”
That's a pretty huge undertaking for one of the world's leaders in tech, and Jackson says she hopes they can be the “ripple in the pond,” showing other brands what is possible in the area of climate change.
Jackson outlined key areas where Apple will focus its efforts: design, energy efficiency, renewable energy, innovation, and carbon removal. The approach the company has outlined will reduce Apple's emissions by 75%, and the other 25% footprint reduction will come from carbon-removal solutions and innovations. She also discussed the importance of Apple product users’ recycling devices whenever possible.
And yes, the goal is to one day make an iPhone from 100% recyclable and renewable materials.
“Climate justice is social justice," Jackson says. And to that end Apple is forming a new impact accelerator to invest in Black- and brown-owned businesses focused on energy efficiency, clean materials. This will be part of the company's new $100 million racial equity and justice initiative, which will fund efforts that “address education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform,” she says.
If we're going to address climate change in real, serious ways, it will take companies like Apple leading the way with ambitious goals like this—and how great is it to see a woman leading its charge?
We can't wait to see this all put into action over the next 10 years.
Originally Appeared on Glamour
