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 aim
CUPERTINO, CALIFORNIA Apple at this time 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 p.c for every carbon impartial Apple Watch.1 This milestone marks a significant step within the firm’s journey towards its bold Apple 2030 aim to make each product carbon impartial by the tip of the last decade, together with the complete international provide chain and the lifetime use of each machine 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 traces, introduced its first totally 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 device 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’ve a longstanding and confirmed dedication to main the battle towards local weather change. Our deal with renewable power and low-carbon design has already pushed industry-leading emissions reductions, and we’re not slowing down,” mentioned Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice chairman of Setting, Coverage, and Social Initiatives. “We’ve achieved an vital milestone in making the world’s hottest watch carbon impartial — and we’ll maintain innovating to satisfy the urgency of the second.”
Each Product Carbon Impartial by 2030
Apple has adopted a transparent and rigorous strategy to product decarbonization that prioritizes lowering greenhouse gasoline emissions from the three largest 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 tasks for emissions that can’t but be prevented or diminished with current options.
Every carbon impartial Apple Watch mannequin meets the next strict standards: one hundred pc clear electrical energy for manufacturing and product use, 30 p.c recycled or renewable materials by weight, and 50 p.c of transport with out using air transportation.4 These mixed efforts end in not less than a 75 p.c discount in product emissions for every mannequin. The corporate will use high-quality carbon credit to handle 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 Providers, a pacesetter 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 international provide chain. Additionally they characterize the newest step on a journey that started over a decade in the past.
In 2020, Apple achieved carbon neutrality for its international company operations and introduced Apple 2030: a daring technique to be carbon impartial throughout its complete worth chain by 2030. Apple’s plan facilities on an aggressive 75 p.c discount in total 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 diminished whole emissions by over 45 p.c since 2015, whereas nonetheless rising income by over 65 p.c in the identical interval.
As Apple accelerates efforts to decarbonize its worth chain, each product represents a possibility to scale 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 one hundred pc clear electrical energy via investments and sourcing by Apple and its suppliers. Moreover, each provider that manufactures elements and parts for these fashions has dedicated to one hundred pc 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 unpolluted power options.
Apple started constructing and investing in large-scale photo voltaic and wind farms to energy its knowledge facilities and workplaces over a decade in the past. In 2015, the corporate began working with its manufacturing companions to assist them create and put money into their very own photo voltaic and wind tasks, and supply renewable power for all Apple manufacturing. Since 2018, all of Apple’s company workplaces, knowledge facilities, and retail shops worldwide have been powered by renewable electrical energy.
Thanks to those mixed efforts, Apple and its international suppliers assist greater than 15 gigawatts of unpolluted power world wide at this time — sufficient to energy over 5 million American properties. Throughout all product traces, greater than 300 international suppliers — representing over 90 p.c of Apple’s direct manufacturing spend — have now joined Apple’s Provider Clear Vitality Program, committing to one hundred pc 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 traces. To deal with the latter, Apple has dedicated to put money into large-scale photo voltaic and wind tasks world wide. For the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions, the corporate will match one hundred pc of shoppers’ anticipated electrical energy use for charging.
Innovating in Low-Carbon Design
Apple has pioneered using many key recycled supplies in its merchandise via world-class product engineering, intensive design qualification, and provide chain experience. The brand new merchandise introduced at this time construct on these achievements.
To additional cut back influence on the planet, Apple is ending using leather-based throughout all of its product traces, together with iPhone equipment and Apple Watch bands. The corporate will exchange leather-based with a brand new textile referred to as FineWoven, a chic and sturdy twill comprised of 68 p.c post-consumer recycled content material. FineWoven gives a delicate luster and a smooth, suedelike really feel, and is out there on iPhone MagSafe circumstances and wallets in addition to the Magnetic Hyperlink and Trendy Buckle Apple Watch bands.
As recycled and renewable supplies usually 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 aim. 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 one hundred pc recycled metals in key parts. This contains one hundred pc recycled uncommon earth magnets and the corporate’s first use of one hundred pc 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 p.c recycled yarn, which incorporates materials from discarded fishing nets. Clients seeking to improve to the brand new carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions can benefit from Apple Commerce In, and Apple will refurbish the machine for a brand new proprietor, or recycle it at no cost.
Apple can be accelerating progress towards plastic-free packaging by 2025. Along with attaining the primary one hundred pc fiber-based packaging for the brand new Apple Watch and band lineup, the packaging for each iPhone 15 mannequin is over 99 p.c fiber-based.
Lowering Transportation Emissions
Transporting merchandise world wide makes up about 9 p.c of Apple’s complete carbon footprint. The corporate is shifting extra product quantity to transport modes which can be much less carbon-intensive than air transport, reminiscent of ocean or rail. Apple’s carbon footprint methodology exhibits that transport the identical product by ocean emits 95 p.c fewer emissions than by air.
For the carbon impartial Apple Watch fashions, together with watches and bands, the corporate will ship not less than 50 p.c of the mixed weight utilizing non-air modes, reducing whole 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 p.c extra gadgets per cargo.
On the identical time, Apple is dedicated to supporting broader efforts to decarbonize transport industries, reminiscent of by being a member of the First Movers Coalition, and by supporting evaluation to determine pathways for growing sustainable aviation fuels. The corporate additionally seeks out technical improvements — together with using various fuels and electrical automobiles — and selects distributors that provide low-carbon choices to assist additional drive decarbonization within the {industry}.
Investing in Excessive-High quality Carbon Removing
After attaining steep reductions in product emissions, Apple plans to cowl residual emissions with high-quality carbon credit primarily from nature-based tasks that take away carbon from the environment, like restoring grasslands, wetlands, and forests. Carbon elimination is essential to addressing local weather change and attaining international local weather targets, 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 tasks which can be actual, further, measurable, and quantified, with programs 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 presently helps tasks in Latin America. The corporate makes use of credit from tasks which can be licensed to worldwide requirements reminiscent of 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 tasks just like the Restore Fund’s investments with Arbaro Advisors and BTG Pactual Timberland Funding Group, that are serving to to revive and shield high-quality working forests and native ecosystems in Paraguay and Brazil.
Introducing Grid Forecast
As Apple decarbonizes its worth chain, the corporate can be dedicated to partaking with clients and creating know-how that helps them perceive and handle their environmental influence.
Grid Forecast is a brand new device within the Residence app on Apple gadgets that exhibits when a person’s electrical grid has comparatively cleaner or much less clear power sources out there. For instance, there are occasions when wind and photo voltaic tasks produce extra power than the grid can use, resulting in a few of it being wasted. There are additionally instances when electrical energy is being generated with decrease emissions. By utilizing electrical energy throughout these cleaner instances, clients might decrease the local weather influence 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 will help individuals make choices about the very best time to run massive home equipment and cost electrical automobiles or gadgets all through the day. Within the contiguous United States, Grid Forecast is out there 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 via ongoing {industry} collaboration, Apple will proceed refining Grid Forecast to maximise influence.
Past its 2030 aim, Apple can be working towards a 90 p.c discount in emissions by 2050 — which requires advocating for collective motion from governments, companies, and people to speed up international progress within the battle towards local weather change.
For extra data on Apple’s 2030 local weather aim and the environmental influence of Apple merchandise, go to apple.com/2030.
About Apple
Apple revolutionized private know-how with the introduction of the Macintosh in 1984. Right now, 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 individuals 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 very best merchandise on earth, and to leaving the world higher than we discovered it.
- Carbon reductions are calculated towards a baseline state of affairs: No use of unpolluted 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 shall be out there within the contiguous United States.
- 50 p.c or extra of all carbon impartial merchandise by whole 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.
Press Contacts
Sean Redding
Apple
Apple Media Helpline
