Apple has made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint, with its global greenhouse gas emissions dropping by more than 60% over the past decade, according to its latest environmental progress report.
Apple’s planet-heating pollution decreased by 800,000 metric tons last year compared to 2023, marking a 5% drop. The company’s efforts to reduce its environmental impact are multifaceted, focusing on procuring renewable energy, designing more sustainable products, and encouraging its suppliers to adopt similar practices. By pushing its suppliers to follow suit, Apple reports that they avoided nearly 24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions last year through renewable energy purchases and energy efficiency gains.
In addition to reducing carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, Apple is tackling the issue of fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs), potent pollutants emitted during the manufacturing of semiconductors and displays. The company has made significant progress in this area, with all of its direct display suppliers committing to abate at least 90% of F-GHGs from facilities used for Apple products. Furthermore, 26 of Apple’s direct semiconductor suppliers have made the same commitment, although the exact proportion of its total supply chain for computer chips this represents is not specified.
Apple is also incorporating more recycled materials into its products, with nearly a quarter of the materials shipped last year being recycled. The use of recycled rare earth elements in Apple products rose to over 80% in 2024, up from 75% in 2023. The company also reported significant use of recycled materials for other components, including 99% of tungsten, 71% of aluminum, 53% of lithium, 40% of gold, and 76% of cobalt. To encourage recycling, Apple is offering a 10% discount on accessories for customers who recycle eligible items at its stores until May 16.
Despite these advancements, Apple still produced 15.3 million metric tons of gross carbon dioxide emissions in 2024, equivalent to the annual pollution from approximately 40 gas-fired power plants. The company uses 2015 as its baseline year for measuring progress, when it emitted 38.4 million metric tons of CO2. Apple’s climate goals include reducing its carbon emissions by 75% by 2030 compared to 2015 levels and eliminating 90% of its pollution by 2050, aligning with global efforts to combat climate change as outlined in the Paris agreement.
