Apple`s Carbon Transition Initiatives-Is It Greenwash?

Case Code: BECG189 Case Length: 14 Pages Period: 2019-2023 Pub Date: 2024 Teaching Note: Available

Price: Rs.400 Organization: Apple Inc. Industry: Technology & Communications Countries: - Themes: Environmental Sustainability, Social Responsibility

Abstract Case Intro 1 Case Intro 2 Excerpts

Excerpts

Apple’s us$ 200 million ‘restore fund’

In April 2021, Apple launched its US$ 200 million ‘Restore Fund’ that aimed to invest in forestry projects across the world that helped to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The initiative was launched with its collaborating partners, Goldman Sachs and Conservation International. While Goldman Sachs was entrusted with the task of managing the fund, Conservation International was responsible for project implementation and ensuring that social and environmental standards were maintained. Apple’s ‘Restore Fund’ targeted the removal of one million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere per annum –equal to the fuel utilized by 200,000 passenger vehicles. Lisa Jackson (Lisa)..

Apple’s Carbon Transition Initiatives

Apple’s Environmental, Social, and Governance Report 2023 (ESG 2023) stated that the company was concerned about the limited resources available on earth and was taking adequate measures to protect them. The company wanted to be a pioneer in the world in the fight against climate change. With this end in mind, Apple had been carbon neutral in its ‘worldwide operations’ since 2020 and it planned to achieve this in the future for the ‘lifetime usage of its products’ and its ‘entire supply chain’. As of 2022, Apple’s products comprised 20 percent of recycled material and it had plans to increase this percentage in the future...

Challenges Facing Apple to Reduce Its Carbon Footprint

Businesses across the world often left a carbon footprint during the course of their operations. According to analysts, climate change caused by increased carbon emissions could lead to socio economic problems, an increase in hunger levels, mass migration on account of flooding, and collapse of financial markets across the world. There was therefore an urgent need for businesses to reduce their impact on the environment, which was only possible if they reduced their carbon footprint. The Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG) , had specified the standards for measuring the carbon dioxide emissions under Scopes..

Is apple’s carbon transition ‘blue’ or is it greenwash?

Analysts were of the view that Apple’s ‘Blue Carbon’ initiatives were just another of its attempts to ‘greenwash’ its atmospheric polluting manufacturing process across the world. Apple had in the recent years made various attempts to portray itself as an environment friendly company with various programs to reduce its carbon footprint, climate pledges, and environment conservation initiatives. The cost of making an iPhone was huge and the cost of owning one was huge too in terms of the impact it made on an individual’s savings as well as on the environment..

Road Ahead

In the future, Apple planned to ensure that its 175 manufacturing partners used renewable energy sources for their operations and processes. The suppliers had committed to using 100 percent renewable energy keeping in focus Apple’s goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2030. Apple and its suppliers combined were expected to transition towards using 9 gigawatts of clean energy across the world. When completed, these transitions toward clean energy were expected to offset 18 million metric tons of carbon dioxide per annum..

Exhibits

Exhibit I: The Blue Carbon Initiatives
Exhibit II: Apple’s Carbon Emissions for the Period (FY 2018 to 2022)
Exhibit III: Apple’s Carbon Removal Statistics for FY 2022

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