Apple made a major commitment to fighting climate change Tuesday, announcing plans to be entirely carbon neutral by 2030. The pledge would cover its entire business, including its supply chain, manufacturing process, and the life of its products. An iPhone bought in 2030 will have net zero climate impact, including the energy a consumer uses to power the device, according to Apple.
Apple plans to achieve this by minimizing carbon in its products, using efficient and renewable energy, using different materials and removing carbon from the atmosphere, the company said.
“This is a moment not to move away from the great challenge of climate change,” Lisa Jackson, Apple vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, told CNN Business. “We wanted to step up and show we should all move even faster if we can because the situation is urgent and continuing to be more urgent.”
Companies, including Apple competitors like Amazon, have increasingly made changes to go carbon neutral in the coming decades. But companies can sidestep climate impacts by outsourcing the dirty work to other companies. A company might buy steel rather than manufacturing it, given the related emissions.
Nives Dolsak, a University of Washington professor who studies climate change, said the trend of businesses making carbon neutrality pledges is a positive. But she’s also been critical of Amazon’s pledge, for example, and what emissions the company counts.
“It’s not enough to say here are the targets and we are going to reduce emissions,” Dolsak told CNN Business.
