September 12, 2023
PRESS RELEASE
Apple unveils its first carbon impartial merchandise
The brand new Apple Watch lineup marks main progress towards bold Apple 2030 local weather objective
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple in the present day introduced its first-ever carbon impartial merchandise within the all-new Apple Watch lineup. Improvements in design and clear power have pushed dramatic reductions in product emissions of over 75 % for every carbon impartial Apple Watch.1 This milestone marks a serious step within the firm’s journey towards its bold Apple 2030 objective to make each product carbon impartial by the tip of the last decade, together with your entire world provide chain and the lifetime use of each system Apple makes.
As a part of Apple 2030 and the corporate’s broader environmental efforts, Apple has additionally ended using leather-based throughout all of its product strains, introduced its first fully fiber-based packaging for the brand new Apple Watch lineup,2 and continued to develop using recycled supplies in iPhone. The corporate additionally launched a brand new instrument within the Residence app referred to as Grid Forecast,3 which helps inform customers when their energy grid has cleaner power out there, to allow them to resolve when to make use of electrical energy.
“At Apple, we now have a longstanding and confirmed dedication to main the battle in opposition to local weather change. Our concentrate on renewable power and low-carbon design has already pushed industry-leading emissions reductions, and we’re not slowing down,” mentioned Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vp of Setting, Coverage, and Social Initiatives. “We’ve achieved an essential milestone in making the world’s hottest watch carbon impartial — and we are going to preserve innovating to fulfill the urgency of the second.”
Each Product Carbon Impartial by 2030
Apple has adopted a transparent and rigorous strategy to product decarbonization that prioritizes decreasing greenhouse gasoline emissions from the three greatest sources throughout the product life cycle: electrical energy, supplies, and transportation. Solely after Apple steeply cuts product emissions, will the corporate apply high-quality carbon credit from nature-based initiatives for emissions that can’t but be averted or lowered with current options.
Every carbon impartial Apple Watch mannequin meets the next strict standards: 100% clear electrical energy for manufacturing and product use, 30 % recycled or renewable materials by weight, and 50 % of transport with out using air transportation.4 These mixed efforts end in at the least a 75 % discount in product emissions for every mannequin. The corporate will use high-quality carbon credit to deal with the small quantity of remaining emissions, leading to a carbon impartial product footprint. Each carbon impartial Apple Watch — which incorporates any aluminum Sequence 9 and SE fashions when paired with a brand new Sport Loop, and Apple Watch Extremely 2 when paired with a brand new Path Loop or Alpine Loop — is licensed by SCS World Companies, a frontrunner in environmental requirements and certification.
The Path to 2030
Apple’s first carbon impartial merchandise are the results of years of great work and innovation throughout the corporate and its world provide chain. In addition they symbolize the newest step on a journey that started over a decade in the past.
In 2020, Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its world company operations and introduced Apple 2030: a daring technique to be carbon impartial throughout its total worth chain by 2030. Apple’s plan facilities on an aggressive 75 % discount in general carbon emissions from 2015 ranges. By avoiding actions that generate carbon, considerably increasing renewable power throughout the corporate’s company operations and provide chain, and designing with recycled and renewable supplies, Apple has to this point lowered complete emissions by over 45 % since 2015, whereas nonetheless rising income by over 65 % in the identical interval.
As Apple accelerates efforts to decarbonize its worth chain, each product represents a possibility to cut back emissions — from the electrical energy used for manufacturing and charging gadgets, to supplies and transport.
Spurring Progress in Clear Electrical energy
All manufacturing for the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions is powered by 100% clear electrical energy by investments and sourcing by Apple and its suppliers. Moreover, each provider that manufactures components and elements for these fashions has dedicated to 100% renewable electrical energy for all of their Apple manufacturing by the tip of the last decade. Apple additionally works with manufacturing companions world wide to advocate for insurance policies that assist wider deployment of fresh power options.
Apple started constructing and investing in large-scale photo voltaic and wind farms to energy its knowledge facilities and places of work over a decade in the past. In 2015, the corporate began working with its manufacturing companions to assist them create and spend money on their very own photo voltaic and wind initiatives, and supply renewable power for all Apple manufacturing. Since 2018, all of Apple’s company places of work, knowledge facilities, and retail shops worldwide have been powered by renewable electrical energy.
Thanks to those mixed efforts, Apple and its world suppliers assist greater than 15 gigawatts of fresh power world wide in the present day — sufficient to energy over 5 million American properties. Throughout all product strains, greater than 300 world suppliers — representing over 90 % of Apple’s direct manufacturing spend — have now joined Apple’s Provider Clear Vitality Program, committing to 100% renewable electrical energy for all Apple manufacturing by the tip of this decade.
Electrical energy for manufacturing and charging gadgets represents the most important supply of Apple’s emissions throughout all product strains. To deal with the latter, Apple has dedicated to spend money on large-scale photo voltaic and wind initiatives world wide. For the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions, the corporate will match 100% of consumers’ anticipated electrical energy use for charging.
Innovating in Low-Carbon Design
Apple has pioneered using many key recycled supplies in its merchandise by world-class product engineering, intensive design qualification, and provide chain experience. The brand new merchandise introduced in the present day construct on these achievements.
To additional cut back impression on the planet, Apple is ending using leather-based throughout all of its product strains, together with iPhone equipment and Apple Watch bands. The corporate will substitute leather-based with a brand new textile referred to as FineWoven, a sublime and sturdy twill produced from 68 % post-consumer recycled content material. FineWoven affords a delicate luster and a mushy, suedelike really feel, and is accessible on iPhone MagSafe circumstances and wallets in addition to the Magnetic Hyperlink and Trendy Buckle Apple Watch bands.
As recycled and renewable supplies typically have a decrease carbon footprint than main supplies, Apple’s industry-leading progress in using recycled content material additionally advances the corporate’s Apple 2030 objective. The brand new FineWoven materials has considerably decrease emissions in comparison with the extra carbon-intensive leather-based, and each the brand new iPhone 15 and the Apple Watch lineups advance progress towards the corporate’s 2025 targets for using 100% recycled metals in key elements. This contains 100% recycled uncommon earth magnets and the corporate’s first use of 100% recycled cobalt within the battery of iPhone 15, Apple Watch Sequence 9, and Apple Watch Extremely 2.5 Moreover, the favored Sport Loop has been redesigned with 82 % recycled yarn, which incorporates materials from discarded fishing nets. Prospects trying to improve to the brand new carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions can make the most of Apple Commerce In, and Apple will refurbish the system for a brand new proprietor, or recycle it at no cost.
Apple can also be accelerating progress towards plastic-free packaging by 2025. Along with reaching the primary 100% fiber-based packaging for the brand new Apple Watch and band lineup, the packaging for each iPhone 15 mannequin is over 99 % fiber-based.
Decreasing Transportation Emissions
Transporting merchandise world wide makes up about 9 % of Apple’s complete carbon footprint. The corporate is shifting extra product quantity to transport modes which might be much less carbon-intensive than air transport, comparable to ocean or rail. Apple’s carbon footprint methodology reveals that transport the identical product by ocean emits 95 % fewer emissions than by air.
For the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions, together with watches and bands, the corporate will ship at the least 50 % of the mixed weight utilizing non-air modes, reducing complete transportation emissions practically in half. Moreover, the packaging of all Apple Watch Sequence 9 and SE fashions has been redesigned for compactness, with a brand new, smaller form that enables for 25 % extra gadgets per cargo.
On the identical time, Apple is dedicated to supporting broader efforts to decarbonize transport industries, comparable to by being a member of the First Movers Coalition, and by supporting evaluation to determine pathways for creating sustainable aviation fuels. The corporate additionally seeks out technical improvements — together with using different fuels and electrical autos — and selects distributors that provide low-carbon choices to assist additional drive decarbonization within the {industry}.
Investing in Excessive-High quality Carbon Removing
After reaching steep reductions in product emissions, Apple plans to cowl residual emissions with high-quality carbon credit primarily from nature-based initiatives that take away carbon from the ambiance, like restoring grasslands, wetlands, and forests. Carbon removing is essential to addressing local weather change and reaching world local weather objectives, as main scientific our bodies just like the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Local weather Change have emphasised.
Apple defines high-quality credit as these from initiatives which might be actual, further, measurable, and quantified, with techniques in place to keep away from double-counting, and that guarantee permanence. Apple has helped advance pure carbon-removal options that meet this definition by creating the modern Restore Fund, which at present helps initiatives in Latin America. The corporate makes use of credit from initiatives which might be licensed to worldwide requirements comparable to Verra; the Local weather, Group & Biodiversity Requirements; and the Forest Stewardship Council.
For the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions, the high-quality carbon credit used to compensate for the remaining emissions will come from initiatives just like the Restore Fund’s investments with Arbaro Advisors and BTG Pactual Timberland Funding Group, that are serving to to revive and defend high-quality working forests and native ecosystems in Paraguay and Brazil.
Introducing Grid Forecast
As Apple decarbonizes its worth chain, the corporate can also be dedicated to participating with clients and creating know-how that helps them perceive and deal with their environmental impression.
Grid Forecast is a brand new instrument within the Residence app on Apple gadgets that reveals when a consumer’s electrical grid has comparatively cleaner or much less clear power sources out there. For instance, there are occasions when wind and photo voltaic initiatives produce extra power than the grid can use, resulting in a few of it being wasted. There are additionally occasions when electrical energy is being generated with decrease emissions. By utilizing electrical energy throughout these cleaner occasions, clients could decrease the local weather impression of the electrical energy they use at house.
Apple makes use of knowledge that mixes grid, emissions, and climate data into one, easy-to-follow sign. This might help folks make selections about the perfect time to run giant home equipment and cost electrical autos or gadgets all through the day. Within the contiguous United States, Grid Forecast is accessible within the Residence app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch, and might be added as an iOS widget or a watch face complication. As further knowledge turns into out there by ongoing {industry} collaboration, Apple will proceed refining Grid Forecast to maximise impression.
Past its 2030 objective, Apple can also be working towards a 90 % discount in emissions by 2050 — which requires advocating for collective motion from governments, companies, and people to speed up world progress within the battle in opposition to local weather change.
For extra data on Apple’s 2030 local weather objective and the environmental impression of Apple merchandise, go to apple.com/2030.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized private know-how with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. At present, Apple leads the world in innovation with iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV. Apple’s 5 software program platforms — iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and tvOS — present seamless experiences throughout all Apple gadgets and empower folks with breakthrough providers together with the App Retailer, Apple Music, Apple Pay, and iCloud. Apple’s greater than 100,000 workers are devoted to creating the perfect merchandise on earth, and to leaving the world higher than we discovered it.
- Carbon reductions are calculated in opposition to a baseline state of affairs: No use of fresh electrical energy for manufacturing or product use, past what’s already out there on the grid; Apple’s carbon depth of key supplies as of 2015; and Apple’s common mixture of transportation modes by product line throughout three years.
- The breakdown of U.S. retail packaging is by weight. Adhesives, inks, and coatings are excluded from calculations of plastic content material and packaging weight.
- Grid Forecast will likely be out there within the contiguous United States.
- 50 % or extra of all carbon impartial merchandise by complete weight are deliberate, as of product launch, to be shipped utilizing non-air modes of transportation — like ocean freight — from the manufacturing facility to their subsequent vacation spot over the lifetime of the merchandise.
- All cobalt content material claims are based mostly on a mass stability allocation.
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Apple
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