Apple’s approach to sustainability reporting sets a global standard across industries, both in transparency and performance. In its 2024 Environmental Progress Report and supporting documentation, Apple details its remarkable success and remaining challenges in the journey toward operational carbon neutrality and supply chain decarbonization.
Governance, Targets, and Scope
Apple’s sustainability reporting is led by top-level governance—the Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives team reports directly to the CEO and Board. The company has set a bold goal: carbon neutrality across its entire business and manufacturing supply chain by 2030, including all products and lifecycle stages. Since 2015, Apple has managed to cut its overall emissions by more than 60%, down from 38.4 million tonnes CO₂e to under 15.4 million tonnes CO₂e in fiscal 2023.
This encompasses all Scope 1 (direct operations), Scope 2 (electricity purchases), and relevant Scope 3 (supply chain and product lifecycle) emissions. For 2023, only 0.1 million tonnes of Apple’s total emissions came from direct operations, with 97% sourced from supply chain and product lifecycle, underscoring the challenge and importance of supply chain engagement.
Operational Excellence and Product Impact
All Apple facilities worldwide—including over 500 retail stores, 152 offices, 43 data centers, and 24 manufacturing plants—are run on 100% renewable energy. In 2024 alone, Apple invested $4.7 billion in green bonds to support vibrational energy, water, and recycling innovations. The company’s products increasingly feature recycled materials: the iPhone 15 uses 100% recycled gold in the logic board and 100% recycled aluminum in enclosure casings, while the MacBook Air is composed of 98% recycled aluminum.
Apple’s first carbon-neutral product, the Apple Watch, showcased the integration of low-carbon materials and supply chain renewable energy. Compared to mainstream competitors, Apple’s average product carbon footprint per device has fallen to 47 kg CO₂e, outperforming industry peers by 20–30%.
Supply Chain Transformation
Supply chain transparency and accountability are rigorously reported and externally audited: 315 supplier sites participated in Apple’s Clean Energy Program in 2023, resulting in cumulative 13.7 million metric tonnes of CO₂e avoided annually. Apple’s supply partners in China, Japan, and other high-impact regions have adopted 100% renewable electricity under Apple’s guidance.
Material circularity is key: Daisy, the company’s device-disassembly robot, recovers rare earth elements from used devices. Apple now sources over 60% of its rare earth, tungsten, and tin from recycled sources—up from 12% in 2017—and has recycled over 60,000 metric tonnes of electronics since 2015. Waste and water use across manufacturing are transparently tracked: Apple reduced water withdrawals by 38% in 2023 compared to 2015.
Social and Community Performance
Apple’s Supplier Code of Conduct is benchmarked annually, with over 60 supplier audits in 2023 confirming compliance in labor, safety, and environmental performance. Apple’s initiative to pay living wages now covers over 100,000 supplier employees globally. The Supplier Clean Water Program reached 6 million people in China and India through community water infrastructure.
For diversity, Apple reports workforce composition, retention rates, and pay equity, highlighting a 50% global increase in underrepresented minority hires since 2016.
Assurance, Verification, and Data-Driven Transparency
All metrics are externally assured by SGS and certified against ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 standards. Apple’s interactive online dashboards provide real-time data to investors, customers, and NGOs. Comparatively, Apple outperforms peers such as Samsung and Dell in renewable energy adoption (100% vs 62% and 56%, respectively). Its GHG footprint per dollar revenue is <20% that of other major electronics conglomerates.
Recognition and Influence
Apple was awarded CDP A-list status for climate and water management for five consecutive years and received the 2024 Environmental Leader Product of the Year award. Its strategies are cited in benchmarking papers by Sustainalytics and EcoVadis as best practice.
Apple’s data-driven, rigorously assured sustainability disclosures set an unrivalled standard for corporate reporting, driving industry advancement and stakeholder trust.
For full reports and live dashboards:
