SEPTEMBER 2020 MACWORLD 23involved in the supply of parts for Apple’s
products, it’s a very ambitious goal to
achieve in just a decade. However, it’s
worth noting that carbon neutral is not the
same thing as zero carbon. Carbon may
be produced somewhere in Apple’s
business, as long as the company makes
up for it elsewhere. For example, if the
manufacturing of the displays used in
MacBooks produced 100 tons of carbon
per year, but Apple sends enough excess
solar power to the grid to eliminate 100
tons of carbon in energy production, that
would be considered carbon neutral.
Companies can produce carbon
emissions but still be carbon neutral by
producing excess carbon-free energy,
using carbon removal, buying carbon
credits, or otherwise offsetting the amount
of carbon they produce.
HOW APPLE WILL GET THERE
In Apple’s press release (go.macworld.
com/apre), it laid out some specifics about
how it plans to achieve net zero carbon
emissions across its entire business. The
aim is to provide a roadmap that other
businesses can follow, and help pull the
industry as a whole to a more sustainable
future. In particular, Apple’s goal for 2030
is to reduce emissions by 75 percent while
using new carbon removal solutions for
the remaining 25 percent of its footprint.
Here are the five key areas in which
Apple will invest in order to become fully
carbon neutral in the next decade.
Low carbon product design: Apple is
going to use even more recycled materials
in its products and invest more in ways to
disassemble and recycle its products.
Expanding energy efficiency: Apple
will find new ways to use less energy in its
own facilities and also help its supply chain
make the same improvements.
Renewable energy: Apple’s own
operations already use 100 percent
renewable energy, and it will work on
moving its entire supply chain there.
Process and material innovations:
Apple is working on making more of its
materials carbon-free, including its support
for the first carbon-free aluminum smelting
process. The first product to use this
low-carbon aluminum will be the 16-inch
MacBook Pro.
Carbon removal: Apple is investing in
natural projects that remove carbon from
the atmosphere, like forest restoration.
Apple’s carbon-neutral promise is
ambitious, but it is just that: a promise.
Nobody is going to levy harsh fines
against the company or slap it with
penalties for missing its targets or
abandoning goals. Having said that, Apple
has taken its environmental stewardship
very seriously of late, and frequently
shows up near the top of any green
company list. ■