Apple stated six months ago that it wanted to stop climate changes rather than debating the issue. Now, the U.S. firm has come up with two new programs to reduce the carbon footprint of its Chinese manufacturing partners.
Helping suppliers cut pollution
It is speculated that the two schemes will help in reducing pollution by more than 20 metric tons by 2020. Under the first scheme, solar energy sources will be built in the northern, eastern and southern grid regions of the country, while the other scheme involves partnering with suppliers to install clean energy projects in the next few years.
Apple also said that in China’s Sichuan province, it has completed 40 megawatts of solar projects capable of producing the same level of energy as used by its retail stores and operations offices in the country. The company will become carbon neutral as the projects reach completion, but it does not take into consideration the energy used by its manufacturers and suppliers.
Hopefully, the two schemes will produce more than 200 megawatts of electricity through the new solar sources, which will be sufficient for offsetting that energy usage. This much energy is sufficient for powering 265,000 homes in China for a complete year. Apple plans to extend help to its suppliers for building projects offering more than 2 gigawatts of clean energy.
Apple making strides in green efforts
Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the programs in a press release, saying that it is time to take action against one of the great challenges of our time, i.e., climate change. “The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose. We believe passionately in leaving the world better than we found it and hope that many other suppliers, partners and other companies join us in this important effort,” Cook said.
Under Cook’s leadership, Apple has taken a strong stance on environmental issues. Cook promoted Lisa Jackson to policy lead in April. Jackson served Apple as head executive for the environment previously. In April, the section on Apple’s site that detailed its environmental initiatives also got an overhaul, including the addition of a video of Cook discussing efforts to better the firm’s environmental track record.
In 2012, Greenpeace criticized Apple, but two years later, the company won praise from the environmental group for its new and aggressive clean energy policies.
