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Apple’s Carbon-Neutral Suppliers Have Doubled in Number

Apple’s Carbon-Neutral Suppliers Have Doubled in Number

Apple Inc. said Wednesday that it has more than doubled the number of suppliers exclusively using clean energy, advancing its pledge to have a fully carbon-neutral supply chain by 2030. 

The announcement comes days before the start of COP26, a major climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland. Tech companies have been especially vocal about their clean power pledges in the lead up to the conference. Amazon.com Inc., which plans to be carbon neutral by 2040, said it had added 86 members to its Climate Coalition. Alphabet Inc., which has vowed to be carbon-free by 2030, touted the opening of a climate-friendly campus. 

Apple, which says it’s already carbon neutral in its own operations, has been pushing suppliers to follow suit. In the last year, the company said, 175 vendors in the U.S., Europe and Asia made the transition to renewable energy. The shift, according to Apple, avoids 18 million metrics tons of CO2 annually -- the equivalent of removing four million cars from the road. 

The company is also adding 10 projects to its “Power of Impact” initiative, bringing green energy to under-resourced communities. Apple is working with Sioux tribes in the U.S. to develop renewable energy resources. Other projects are based in Colombia, Israel, Nigeria and South Africa. 

Apple said it has reduced carbon emissions by 40% over the last five years. The company is also trying to use more recycled materials in the manufacturing process -- such resources as gold, aluminum and cobalt, which require coal-intensive mining. 

“We’re acting with urgency, and we’re acting together,” Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook said in a statement. “But time is not a renewable resource, and we must act quickly to invest in a greener and more equitable future.” 

©2021 Bloomberg L.P.