Apple has a plan to reach 2030 climate targets, VP confirms

Apple’s materials recovery lab

Apple VP Lisa Jackson spoke with Indian Express to explain the company’s ambition to build carbon neutral manufacturing in India and stress just how essential it is that every company tackle climate change.

“There’s a roadmap” to reach Apple’s climate neutral target

The company, which currently holds lead position in the latest As You Sow 2023 Clean 200 list of sustainable companies, has gone on record to say it is working toward building a climate neutral business by 2030.

“We have to do it as fast as we can,” explained Jackson, who leads Apple’s environment, policy, and social initiatives.

“I like to remind people we couldn’t just set a goal, we had to come up with a roadmap, just like we have a roadmap for every product that Apple eventually releases. There’s a roadmap for years to get to that product,” she says.

“We are saying if you want to do business with Apple, we expect you to take on the responsibility of climate change just as we have,” she said.

What Jackson said

The interview is packed with insight and if you are at all interested in Apple’s approach to these problems, and to building business in India, it’s worth a read.

Selected insights follow:

• While carbon emissions stayed the same in the last environmental report period, production climbed rapidly.
• Apple will publish its next environment report around mid-April in time for Earth Day. “There will be some good news there,” she said.
• She describes Apple’s goal to ensure renewable energy is used across all its facilities as a “very active, kinetic goal”. That’s because the effort must be repeated each time the company opens a new office or contracts a new supplier.
• Jackson notes that India is deeply committed to the deployment of solar and low carbon energy.
• She also notes that local companies seem to understand the importance of making such a move to leapfrog traditional energy sources and reach out to renewables.

• (Editor’s note: Possibly because developing economies globally are already experiencing some of the very worst current impacts of climate change. Fossil fuel protagonists knew it was coming decades ago, and sold humanity down the river for their greed, some might say).
• She’s not a huge fan of carbon offsets, but the company does make use of them pending new tech solutions.

[Also read: Apple puts cash into forests to fight climate change]

• She notes that today’s workers and customers are aware of these big challenges and companies must be seen to meet them if they want to achieve success.
• Apple is willing to help suppliers make the transition and is willing to share materials innovations that help toward such goals.
• “There’s a reason its global climate change… none of us can be safe if all of us aren’t,” she said.

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