It seems that Apple is truly committed to power all its operations on 100% renewable energy.
Image credit: wikimedia commons User: Apple, Inc.
A team of Apple execs, including CEO Tim Cook and environmental head Lisa Jackson, announced a partnership with the World Wildlife Fund in China as the next step towards achieving neutral impact on the world’s paper supply.
With the partnership, the company aims to protect up to one million acres of forest across the country.
“Forests, like energy, can be renewable resources. We believe we can run on naturally renewable resources and ensure that we protect—and create—as much sustainable working forest as needed to produce the virgin paper in our product packaging. This is an important step toward that goal and our commitment to leave the world better than we found it,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives.
“We’ve set an example by greening our data centres, retail stores and corporate offices, and we’re ready to start leading the way toward reducing carbon emissions from manufacturing. This won’t happen overnight—in fact it will take years—but it’s important work that has to happen, and Apple is in a unique position to take the initiative toward this ambitious goal. It is a responsibility we accept. We are excited to work with leaders in our supply chain who want to be on the cutting edge of China’s green transformation,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
The announcement comes three weeks after Apple launched its first major solar project in China. Apple is currently operating two 20-megawatt solar farms in China’s Sichuan province that will generate more energy than is used by all its offices and stores in China put together.
Further, 87% of Apple’s global operations run on renewable energy. The company aims to achieve 100%, so converting China manufacturers is a critical step to reach that goal.
“Apple’s support for this project and its environmental leadership show that protecting forests is not just good for society but important for business,” said Lo Sze Ping, Chief Executive Officer for WWF China.
“This collaboration between our two organisations will seek to reduce China’s ecological footprint by helping produce more wood from responsibly managed forests within its own borders. Doing so is essential to China, the world’s biggest timber importer. Our hope is this will catalyse a new model of corporate leadership in promoting sustainable forest management and using paper resources more efficiently and responsibly around the world.”
Learn more about Apple’s environmental efforts at www.apple.com/environment.
