Apple’s environmental statement was challenged for exaggeration, but still ahead of other tech giants. Just weeks after Greenpeace criticized Apple’s annual product cycle for contributing to carbon emissions, the company’s environmental statement is once again under close scrutiny.
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A new report has accused Apple of exaggerating its environmental achievements but also acknowledged that the Cupertino company is far ahead of other tech giants when it comes to the environment.
Greenpeace accused Apple last month of encouraging users to change products quickly, resulting in high environmental costs: ‘Every time Apple releases a new iPhone, tens of millions of people around the world are tempted to upgrade, even if the change is relatively minor… If Apple really cared about the environment, they would be encouraging longer device lifespans and considering extending the time between major product releases.”
Greenpeace says that the product life cycle is a big deal because even Apple admits that about 80% of the iPhone’s entire life-cycle carbon emissions are produced during the manufacturing process.
Comparing Apple, Dell, Google, HP, Microsoft, and NVIDIA, the Stand. Earth organization reported that all companies except NVIDIA have committed to reducing absolute global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions within their supply chains by 2030, with Apple’s commitment being the largest by far.
The report emphasizes the word “absolute” because Apple’s announced 0% goal includes “offsets,” which Stand considers “problematic.” “Some IT companies rely heavily on unbundled renewable energy certificates (RECs) to claim carbon neutrality. This is problematic as it can mask actual carbon emissions and continued reliance and demand for fossil fuels.”
Apple was also commended for providing meaningful help to its suppliers: “Only Apple reported having taken meaningful steps to provide financial support, knowledge transfer or incentives to assist in the energy transition. Communicating with suppliers is vital, but without adequate financial support and appropriate knowledge transfer, the transition to renewable energy will be difficult.”
Gary Cook, the organization’s head of global climate policy, said other companies need to do the same thing, “Apple is the only one of the Big Six tech giants that has set targets for its suppliers to use renewable energy. Other brands need to send the same clear signal to their suppliers … While Apple may be too quick to claim that their products are ‘carbon neutral,’ they are the only company that is setting a strong example of how to wean their operations off of fossil fuels and actively engaging their suppliers to achieve 100% renewable power by 2030.”
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