Apple just revealed its first carbon-neutral products to push toward its climate goals of reducing carbon emissions by 2030.
The products are all part of the tech giant's Apple Watch lineup, and their design and clean energy innovations have driven dramatic reductions in product emissions. Officials recorded over 75% reduction in emissions for each carbon-neutral Apple Watch.
Apple's First Carbon-Neutral Products
This milestone signifies a major milestone for the company as it heads towards its ambitious 2030 goal of making every single one of its products carbon neutral. This would include the entire global supply chain and the lifetime use of every device the company manufactures.
As part of Apple's 2030 climate goals and its broader environmental efforts, it has also ended the use of leather across all of its product lines. The company announced its first entirely fiber-based packaging for the new Apple Watch lineup. It continued to expand the use of recycled materials in iPhone products, as per Apple Newsroom.
Additionally, Apple introduced a new tool in the Home app called Grid Forecast, which assists users by informing them when their power grid has cleaner energy. This means that they can then decide when to use electricity.
In a statement, Apple's vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives, Lisa Jackson, said the company has a longstanding and proven commitment to leading the fight against climate change.
She noted that the company focuses on renewable energy and low-carbon design, which has already driven industry-leading emissions reductions. Jackson argued that they would not be slowing down, adding that they have achieved a crucial milestone in making the world's most popular watch carbon neutral and will keep innovating to meet the moment's urgency.
Apple said it had achieved the feat by making all Watch manufacturing powered by 100% clean electricity. This could mean it is a mix of renewables, nuclear, and hydropower. According to TechCrunch, the company added that it has decided to buy renewable power on behalf of its consumers.
Advancing an Ambitious Climate Goal
The company forecasts how much electricity would be needed to charge the watch over its lifetime and invests enough funds in renewable energy projects to offset that particular figure. The products are also made using recycled materials, such as aluminum for the cases and tin, gold, copper, and tungsten for the various chops and connections inside the watches.
Apple also addressed shipping as a factor in carbon emissions, as the new Series 9 packaging is 100% fiber-based and was made to be smaller. This means the company can ship 25% more watches for every trip.
To know if a product you want is carbon neutral, you can go and look for a new logo on the product's packaging. The company added that any remaining pollution generated by the manufacturer and shipping of its new carbon-neutral products would be offset through nature-based projects, such as restoring forests, said The Verge.
