A new Stand.earth report claims that Apple, the most valuable company globally with a market cap of around $3 trillion, could be exaggerating its environmental claims, but it’s not all bad news.
The same report recognizes that the company is indeed performing positively on the green front, outperforming many other rival tech companies like Google and Microsoft.
The report has surfaced within weeks of other environmental criticisms of the company, specifically relating to its annual refresh cycles.
Is Apple eco-friendly?
CEO Tim Cook recently spoke about the company’s decisions to release new products as frequently as it does, which is annually for its most popular hero products, including the iPhone and Apple Watch.
He explained that the company’s disassembly processes have come a long way and many materials are now recycled or reused.
According to the report, Apple has generated or sourced renewable energy for its corporate operations for five years, and its entire product value chain, including manufacturing, is set to be powered by clean energy by 2030.
The company also claims that more than 300 of its manufacturing partners have committed to using clean energy for Apple production by the same deadline.
HP, Microsoft, and Nvidia are the next nearest, with plans to supply their own operations only with clean energy by 2025. No other large tech company in the report appears to have committed to supporting its supply chain.
Speaking of potential greenwashing claims, Cook said that the company’s environmental stance and actions are one of the few areas where there’s no secrecy, unlike details of upcoming hardware and software, which are kept tightly under wraps.
Crucially, the Cupertino company’s commitment to decarbonizing its entire product range and operations outside of its own four walls is something that currently sets it apart from key rivals, and has played a considerable role in its environmental successes so far.
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