To avoid over 18 million metric tonne CO2e annually, Cupertino giant Apple has doubled its suppliers committed to using 100 per cent clean energy over the last year. In total, 175 Apple suppliers will transition to using renewable energy, and the company and its suppliers will bring online more than 9 gigawatts of clean power around the world. Of this, 11 Indian supplier sites for Apple have committed to 100% renewable energy.
"We've added more than 100 suppliers to our clean energy programme. That means they've committed to using 100% renewable energy for their Apple production. That total list includes now every supplier working on the final assembly of Apple's newest products, including some sites in India," says Sarah Chandler, Senior Director - Environment and Supply Chain Innovation at Apple.
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In the US, 19 suppliers in Apple's Supplier Clean Energy Programme, including Solvay, are scaling their use of renewable energy across their Apple operations. In Europe, 19 suppliers are now part of the programme, including STMicroelectronics, which has started nine additional projects to deliver renewable energy for its broader operations since joining Apple's programme.
Apple says that in China, 50 suppliers are now part of the programme, with many maximising their use of on-site solutions. In India, Japan, and South Korea, 31 suppliers have joined, including SK Hynix, one of the first Korean suppliers to participate.
"In India, we have so far 11 manufacturing sites operated by suppliers who've joined our clean energy programme. So it's certainly a big role. And I think also we're excited to see expanded growth in India of renewable energy generally. We also think that that's a great roadmap to a resilient energy future for India and so very appreciative of the commitments of our of the local facilities and also the policy to enable access to that renewable energy," adds Chandler. The list of 11 suppliers in India includes Cheng Uei (Foxlink), Avary, CCL Design, Flex Ltd, Hon Hai, Jabil, Lingyi Tech, Pegatron, Sunwoda Electronic, Wistron and Yuto.
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In addition, Apple has added 10 new projects for the Power for Impact initiative to bring clean energy solutions to communities around the world. Apple says these projects are designed to provide renewable power to under-resourced communities while supporting economic growth and social impact. To name a few, in the United States Apple will work with the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, formed by six Sioux tribes to jointly develop tribal renewable energy resources by financing, developing, constructing, and operating power generation and transmission facilities for the wholesale market.
This project is on track to create a large-scale wind power development in the Midwest and follows the organisation's participation in Apple's Impact Accelerator, part of the company's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative. In South Africa, Apple is bringing renewable energy to over 3,500 households that previously lacked access.
In Thailand, Apple is participating in an effort to increase renewable energy production and battery storage to ensure reliable access to electricity, and replace the use of polluting diesel fuel for a remote fishing village that relies on refrigerators to maintain the quality of its fish products.
Apple has set a goal to become carbon neutral across its entire footprint by 2030, which the company hopes to achieve by reducing emissions by 75 per cent compared to 2015, and then investing in carbon removal solutions for the remaining emissions.
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