Apple announces new clean energy investments, asks suppliers to decarbonize

NITTO DENKO

25/10/2022 13:37

Oct 25 (Reuters) - Apple Inc  AAPL.O  said on Tuesday it
would make fresh investments to set up solar and wind projects
in Europe and called on its suppliers to decarbonize operations
related to the production of iPhones and other products.
    The company in 2020 had pledged to remove carbon emissions
from its entire business, including products and its sprawling
supply chain - which spans from Vietnam to Brazil - by 2030.
    The iPhone maker will now require its supply partners to
report on progress on carbon neutrality goals, specifically
Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions reductions, related to the
production of Apple products and will audit their progress
annually.
    More than 200 suppliers, representing 70% of Apple's direct
manufacturing spending and including Corning Inc  GLW.N , Nitto
Denko Corp  6988.T , SK Hynix Inc  000660.KS ,
STMicroelectronics  STM.BN , TSMC  2330.TW  and Yuto, have
committed to using clean power such as wind or solar for all
Apple production, Apple said.
    Apple had previously asked suppliers to commit to 100%
renewable energy for Apple's production.
    "We're determined to be a ripple in the pond that creates a
bigger change," Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said. Apple has
been carbon neutral for its global corporate operations since
2020.
        Many multinational companies are increasingly looking
into global supply chains to reduce their carbon footprint as
climate change becomes a bigger focus for investors and
regulators.
    Apple said the European investments are part of a strategy
to address about 22% of its carbon footprint coming from the
electricity customers use to charge their devices.
    With the construction of new projects in Europe, the company
is aiming to power all Apple devices on the continent with
low-carbon electricity, it said.
    In total, the planned investments will add 3,000 gigawatt
hours per year of new renewable energy on the grid, Apple said.
 (Reporting by Nivedita Balu in Bengaluru; Editing by Savio
D'Souza)
 ((Nivedita.Balu@thomsonreuters.com; Twitter: @niveditabalu;))