Eliminating the risks from toxic substances in the products we all use has always been a passion of mine, and today it is one of our top three environmental priorities here at Apple. We continue to lead the industry in this area as we are committed to keeping both people and the environment healthy. That’s why we’ve removed many harmful substances from our product designs and go to great lengths to make sure they stay that way.
Our pursuit has led to the creation of greener materials and more earth-friendly products, like power cords made without PVC, mercury-free displays, and enclosures that don’t contain brominated flame retardants (BFRs).
We require our suppliers to follow our Regulated Substances Specification and we hold our supply chain responsible with rigorous testing, by our own experts as well as independent labs. And today, for the first time, we are releasing our Regulated Substances Specification to the public.
Recently, we received some questions about whether the chemicals benzene and n-hexane are used in the manufacturing of our products. Apple treats any allegations of unsafe working conditions extremely seriously. We took immediate investigative action, sending specialized teams into each of our 22 final assembly facilities, and found no evidence of workers’ health being put at risk. We’ve updated our tight restrictions on benzene and n-hexane to explicitly prohibit their use in final assembly processes. You can learn more about our commitment to safe handling of chemicals and toxic substances here.
Our history proves that the electronics industry can make use of green chemistry. It’s time now to do even better, and we are eager to take on this challenge.
We’ll invest in research on new materials and technologies. We’ll assemble a new advisory board composed of leaders in safer chemicals and pollution prevention to advance our efforts to minimize or eliminate toxins from our products and supply chain. And we’ll listen — convening roundtables with stakeholders to seek out the best science, data, and solutions.
We’re committed to removing toxins from our products and processes. Because everyone has the right to a safe product and a safe working environment.
The Apple Store, Stanford, one of 145 U.S. Apple Retail Stores powered by 100 percent renewable energy.
On Earth Day, we promised to keep you posted on our progress in reducing Apple’s environmental impact. We’re back with a few updates.
First, we recently submitted our 2013 carbon emissions data to the CDP (formerly known as the Carbon Disclosure Project). For the past six years, we’ve been measuring and publishing our carbon footprint — not just for the facilities we own but also for our supply chain and even our customers’ use of Apple products. We heard from some shareholders that making this information available through the CDP would help them more easily track our environmental performance. So you can expect to see Apple’s data in the CDP’s next report this fall.
Second, while focusing on our climate data, we decided to recalculate our 2012 emissions using our newest methodology — the same model we used to calculate our 2013 numbers. The new analysis shows that our carbon footprint actually shrank by 3 percent from 2012 to 2013. This marked the first time we’ve seen a year-over-year decline since we began tracking the numbers in 2009. While we’re excited about this progress, we know our work is far from done.
We also released our full 2014 Environmental Responsibility Report, previously called the Facilities Environmental Footprint Report. We gave an extensive preview of its content when we launched this website 10 weeks ago, but we have additional details and progress to share:
- We’re now powering 145 of our U.S. retail stores and all of our retail stores in Australia with 100 percent renewable energy.
- Thanks to our clean-power investments, our carbon footprint from energy use dropped by 31 percent from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013 — even though our overall energy consumption increased by 42 percent during that time.
- The energy efficiency programs we applied to our corporate offices in the Cupertino area over the past three years saved 28.5 million kWh of electricity and 751,000 therms of natural gas.
- The commute alternatives program for our employees provided more than 1 million trips and helped avoid greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to taking more than 15,000 vehicles off the road.
The new report also highlights some of the challenges we face:
- Our water consumption rose significantly in 2013, in part due to construction and other expansion activities.
- Carbon emissions from our manufacturing partners remain the largest portion of our carbon footprint, an area we’re committed to addressing.
Good data leads to good decisions, and we’re already using the data from this year’s report to inform the work that will fill the pages of next year’s. Stay tuned.
Our Maiden, North Carolina, solar array.
At Apple, we believe innovation is about making things better. This simple idea drives us to take action in the face of the very real problem of climate change. We feel the responsibility to consider everything we do in order to reduce our impact on the environment. This means using greener materials and constantly inventing new ways to conserve precious resources.
We aim to create not just the best products in the world, but the best products for the world. We have a long way to go, but we are proud of our progress. For example, every one of our data centers is powered entirely by clean sources such as solar, wind, and geothermal energy. So whenever you download a song, update an app, or ask Siri a question, the energy Apple uses is provided by nature.
Of course, the cleanest energy is the energy you never use. That’s why we’ve reduced the average total power consumed by Apple products by 57 percent since 2008. And each one of our products far exceeds the strict energy efficiency guidelines set by ENERGY STAR.
We’ve led the industry in removing many harmful toxins from our products, such as PVC, brominated flame retardants, and phthalates. And we’ve recycled more than 421 million pounds of electronic waste. In fact, every Apple Retail Store will now take back Apple products for free and recycle them responsibly. We believe we must be accountable for every Apple product at every stage of its use.
“Better” means we’re never done. We push ourselves every day to develop innovations that reduce our carbon footprint, use cleaner and safer materials, and show that what’s good for the planet can also be good for business. At Apple, we continue to put nature at the center of our business and design principles. We promise to keep you updated on our journey.
Sincerely,
Lisa Jackson
Vice President of Environmental Initiatives
Lisa Jackson is the Vice President for Environmental Initiatives for Apple. She served as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from 2009 to 2013.
Apple powers all its data centers, including a new facility in Reno, Nevada, with 100 percent renewable energy and reaches 94 percent renewable energy usage across its corporate campuses and data centers.
Apple begins construction of its new Cupertino campus, which will be a model of energy efficiency and green building design.
Apple launches the Clean Water Program pilot to increase water reuse and recycling at 13 water‑intensive supplier sites.
Apple introduces the new Mac Pro, which uses 74 percent less aluminum and steel than its predecessor.
Apple launches the Supplier Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Academy to expand the pool of qualified EHS managers in our supply chain.
Apple completes its rollout of PVC‑free cables in China across all products.
Apple launches the redesigned iMac, which uses 68 percent less material and generates 67 percent fewer carbon emissions than earlier generations. In addition, the aluminum stand on the iMac is made using 30 percent recycled content.
Apple rolls out a fuel cell installation powered by directed biogas and builds rooftop solar photovoltaic systems at our headquarters in Cupertino. Energy use at our headquarters is cut by over 30 percent at a time when occupancy increased by more than 12 percent.
Apple introduces its redesigned AirPort Express with an enclosure containing bio‑based polymers derived from industrial‑grade rapeseed and post‑consumer recycled PC‑ABS plastic.
Apple achieves 100 percent renewable energy use in corporate facilities in Austin, Texas; Elk Grove, California; Cork, Ireland; and Munich, Germany; at many sites in Australia; at the Infinite Loop campus in Cupertino; as well as at data centers in Newark, California; Maiden, North Carolina; and Prineville, Oregon. Among all Apple corporate facilities worldwide, 75 percent of the total energy used comes from renewable sources — a 114 percent increase since 2010.
At the data center in Maiden, North Carolina, Apple completes construction and begins operation of the largest end user‑owned solar array and the largest non‑utility fuel cell in the United States.
Apple commissions our data center in Maiden, North Carolina, and it earns the coveted LEED Platinum certification from the U.S. Green Building Council.
Apple introduces new iTunes Gift Cards using 100 percent recyclable paper.
Apple introduces the Mac App Store in 123 countries, providing customers with one‑click access to Mac software, including OS X Lion. Digital downloads dramatically reduce the environmental impact of delivering software by eliminating the packaging and transportation of boxed software. In addition, Apple eliminates restore DVDs previously included in Mac product packaging.
Apple ships iPad 2, featuring the powerful yet power‑efficient dual-core A5 system‑on‑a‑chip. iPad 2 is up to twice as fast as the original iPad, while still delivering up to 10 hours of battery life1 — all in a design that’s 33 percent thinner and up to 15 percent lighter than its predecessor.
All Apple products exceed the strict ENERGY STAR guidelines for energy efficiency. All products are at least twice as energy efficient as the ENERGY STAR specification, and Mac mini is up to six times more energy efficient.
All displays offered by Apple use mercury‑free LED backlight technology with arsenic‑free display glass.
Apple introduces the Apple Battery Charger for rechargeable batteries. Using rechargeable batteries instead of disposable alkaline batteries reduces the battery waste by 78 percent and the carbon footprint by 63 percent over a four‑year period.2
Apple introduces the new Mac mini, the world’s most energy‑efficient desktop computer. It can operate on just 10 watts of electricity, which is less power than a single energy‑efficient CFL lightbulb.
Apple’s facilities in Cork, Ireland; Austin, Texas; and Sacramento, California, convert to using 100 percent renewable energy.
PVC‑free cables ship with all iPod, iPhone, and iPad devices worldwide. PVC‑free cables ship with all notebook, Apple TV, Mac mini, iMac, and 27‑inch LED Cinema Display products in the U.S. and in other countries where agency approvals are granted.
Apple reveals complete life cycle analysis of greenhouse gas emissions, setting a new standard of full environmental disclosure. While other companies report on a fraction of their emissions, Apple is the only company in the industry that publishes the environmental footprint of each of its products.
The new Mac mini, iMac, and Mac Pro meet the ENERGY STAR 5.0 specification.
All products ship BFR‑free and with mercury‑free LED‑backlit displays and arsenic‑free display glass.
Apple introduces a new built‑in battery with the MacBook Pro family that lasts nearly three times longer than typical notebook batteries.
Apple achieves a recycling rate of 66.4 percent (as a percentage of weight from 2003 sales).
Apple introduces the unibody MacBook and MacBook Pro, made with recyclable aluminum and glass enclosures with arsenic‑ and mercury‑free displays and BFR‑ and PVC‑free internal components.
MacBook Air is the first Mac to use mercury‑free backlight technology with arsenic‑free LCD display glass.
iPhone 3G ships with PVC‑free handset, headphones, and USB cables; BFR‑free printed circuit boards; and a mercury‑ and arsenic‑free display.
Apple achieves a recycling rate of 41.9 percent (as a percentage of weight from 2002 sales).
First products with bromine‑free printed circuit board laminates are introduced.
First MacBook Pro with mercury‑free LED‑backlit display is announced.
Apple expands its employee commuter program to include fuel‑efficient biodiesel commuter coaches.
Apple is the first computer manufacturer to entirely replace CRT displays with material‑efficient and energy‑efficient LCDs.
The Apple Supplier Code of Conduct is implemented.
Investigation into BFR‑free and PVC‑free cable enclosures and printed circuit boards begins.
Phaseout of substances included in the European Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) Directive is initiated.
Supplier survey initiative on substance use is initiated.
Product take‑back solutions are implemented in the U.S. and Japan.
Apple’s global Regulated Substances Specification is rolled out.
Apple signs the European Union Code of Conduct on Power Supplies, which encourages manufacturers to design power supplies that minimize energy consumption in off mode.
Apple becomes a founding member of the U.S. Federal Energy Management Program (FEMP), which introduces energy efficiency requirements for the off mode of computer products.
Apple computers and displays first meet applicable ENERGY STAR requirements.
Apple starts voluntary phaseout of tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) in all plastic enclosure parts greater than 25 grams.
Apple begins purchasing 100 percent of the electricity for our Austin, Texas, facility from renewable sources by participating in Austin’s “Green Choice” Power Program.
All Apple manufacturing sites are ISO 14001 certified worldwide, signifying that Apple has a structured environmental management system (EMS) in place to manage the environmental impact of our operations.
