Having already strengthened its supply chain partnerships to facilitate the adoption of renewable energy, Apple recently announced that it has assisted over 200 supply chain partners in fully transitioning to renewable energy operations, introducing approximately 1000 million kilowatts of clean energy. According to Apple, the total amount of clean energy used by its supply chain partners more than doubled last year. Of the nearly 1600 million kilowatts of clean energy previously committed to, over 1000 million kilowatts are now in use, reducing carbon emissions by 1390 million metric tons. The greenhouse gas emission reductions achieved through this initiative are roughly equivalent to reducing the carbon emissions of 300 million cars on the road. To date, Apple and 213 major manufacturing partners have committed to using renewable electricity in 25 countries and regions to drive the production of Apple products. This latest commitment adds dozens of new developments to accelerate Apple's goal of achieving carbon neutrality across its entire supply chain by 2030. Prior to this, Apple had announced its goal of achieving carbon neutrality across its global operations by 2020, and plans to further achieve carbon neutrality across all its supply chain operations. Investing in Renewable Energy Development Globally: Apple is already directly investing in renewable energy development worldwide, including nearly 500 megawatts of solar power in China and Japan, as well as other renewable energy projects. It also provides localized training materials for different markets to help its supply chain partners accelerate the adoption of clean energy. Last year, 11 of Apple's European supply chain partners, including Infineon, Viscom AG, and Lumileds, pledged to adopt clean energy, bringing the total number of Apple's European supply chain partners using clean energy to 25. In the United States, Apple has directly invested in the 2300-acre IP Radian Solar project in Brown County, Texas, which is expected to be completed and operational by the end of this year, providing 300 megawatts of electricity capacity to offset the electricity consumed by consumers using Apple devices, thus "reducing" Apple's actual carbon emissions. In addition, DuPont, Apple's supply chain partner in Wilmington, Delaware, and Micron Technology, located in Boise, Idaho, have also pledged to adopt renewable energy. Furthermore, Apple's supply chain partners Solvay and Corning will assist in the construction of some of the largest solar power plants in South Carolina and North Carolina, further promoting the adoption of renewable energy. Similarly, Apple is encouraging its Asian supply chain partners to adopt clean energy. In China, 23 supply chain partners have joined the effort to use clean energy, including Shenzhen-based Hengchuang Ruineng Environmental Technology, which uses clean energy in its closed-loop recycling process. Apple also announced the launch of the China Clean Energy Fund in 2018 to accelerate the development of renewable energy in China through innovative methods. Currently, through this fund, Apple and its supply chain partners have jointly invested in up to 465 megawatts of clean energy. Last year, 20 new supply chain partners in Japan pledged to use clean energy, including Kioxia, Sharp, and Nitto Denko. Additionally, Hyewa is assisting Apple product manufacturing with wind power generation in the suburbs of Tokyo. In South Korea, LG and Samsung have pledged to use clean energy in the production of Apple products, and 13 of their supply chain partners have also begun operating using clean energy. In addition to continuing to invest in clean energy, Apple emphasizes that this will increase local employment opportunities and promote local industrial revitalization and transformation, enabling more regions to benefit from economic growth.
