Apple to invest in renewable energy to make up for people’s iPhone usage in Europe

Apple will invest in enough renewable energy in Europe that it will make up for people’s use of its devices, it has said.The company will facilitate the construction of a range of solar and wind projects, with the aim of getting enough renewable energy that it could power all of the Apple devices on the continent, it said.That will involve building a range of projects, which will together provide 3,000 gigawatt hours per year of new renewable energy to the grid, it said. The projects should be completed with in the ‘next several years’.Similar projects have already been launched in the US and Australia.The move is intended to help it address the 22 per cent of Apple’s carbon footprint that comes from people charging up and using its devices, it said. Apple has committed to entirely decarbonise its operations by 2030, which will mean addressing not just the environmental effect of making its devices but using them too.It also follows the introduction of a new technology called ‘Clean Energy Charging’, which at the moment I limited to the US. That feature means iPhones will wait for times when the power grid is using renewable sources, and wait to charge up until then.Apple’s announcement that it would be investing in renewable energy in Europe came as it called on its supply chain to take new steps to address its emissions.That will mean encouraging suppliers to address the greenhouse gas emissions not only of their work to create Apple products, but more generally too.Already some of Apple’s suppliers – such as Corning, which makes the glass for its phones – have committed to powering all Apple production with entirely renewable energy.The company will encourage them to do more by providing information to them and work with them to find ways to use renewable energy in its products, it said.’Fighting climate change remains one of Apple’s most urgent priorities, and moments like this put action to those words,’ said Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, in a statement. ‘We’re looking forward to continued partnership with our suppliers to make Apple’s supply chain carbon neutral by 2030.’Climate action at Apple doesn’t stop at our doors, and in this work, we’re determined to be a ripple in the pond that creates a bigger change.’