Apple Issues Update on Progress to Become Fully Carbon Neutral by 2030

In honor of Earth Day 2023, Apple just issued an update as to how it is doing with that whole “carbon neutral by 2030” thing. 

The tech giant says it is still on track toward its “ambitious goal” of making every product carbon neutral by the end of the decade, announcing that it has already reached this goal with regard to global corporate operations. Additionally, the company says it has reduced its overall carbon footprint by 45 percent since 2015, despite revenue increasing by nearly 70 percent during that same time. 

Apple touts new policies that promote renewable energy at the manufacturing stage, stating they have allowed the company to avoid a whopping 28 million metric tons of carbon. It also announced new manufacturing guidelines for iPhones, iPads, MacBook Air laptops, and Apple Watch models to reduce the overall carbon footprint further as we get closer to 2030. 

Apple did release some specific numbers on a product level, saying that it has reduced the emissions of the M2-equipped MacBook Air by 38 percent, thanks to an increase in the amount of recycled and renewable components in the laptop. The Apple Watch Series 8 now uses 40 percent renewable electricity during manufacturing, leading to a 28 percent decrease in device-related climate impact. 

These are all fairly impressive numbers, but 2030 is just around the bend, and it will take a lot more work to complete Apple’s journey to becoming a fully carbon-neutral company. It plans on sharing more details in the coming months via future Product Environment Reports. In the meantime, Apple has launched a new trade-in splash page to help consumers recycle old gadgets.