The planet-heating pollution was reduced by 800,000 metric tons last year compared to 2023, or about 5 percent. Looking back over the past decade, Apple says its global greenhouse gas emissions have been reduced by more than 60 percent. This is no easy achievement, especially now that the arms race to create artificial intelligence is pushing other tech companies to increase their emissions.
Purchasing renewable energy, developing more sustainable products, and encouraging suppliers to follow suit are key pillars of Apple’s climate plans. The company says that its suppliers avoided nearly 24 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions last year through renewable energy purchases and energy efficiency improvements.
In addition to carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels, Apple has to contend with the highly potent fluorinated greenhouse gases (F-GHGs) that are produced from the manufacture of semiconductors and flat panel displays. The company says that all of its direct display suppliers have committed to reducing at least 90 percent of greenhouse gas emissions from facilities used to manufacture Apple products. Twenty-six of Apple’s direct semiconductor suppliers have made the same commitment, although Apple did not specify what share they hold in the overall computer chip supply chain.
The company also used more recycled materials last year, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total materials it shipped in its products. More than 80 percent of the rare earths used in Apple products – mostly in magnets for phones and other devices – came from recycled sources in 2024, up from 75 percent the previous year. About 99 percent of tungsten, 71 percent of aluminum, 53 percent of lithium, 40 percent of gold and 76 percent of cobalt in the company’s products came from recycled sources last year, according to Apple. Until May 16, the company is offering a 10 percent discount on accessories to customers who bring the appropriate product to one of its stores for recycling.
In 2024, Apple still produces 15.3 million metric tons of gross carbon dioxide emissions, roughly equivalent to the pollution from 40 gas-fired power plants in a year. The company considers 2015 as a baseline year to measure progress, when it produced 38.4 million metric tons of CO2 emissions.
By 2030, Apple wants to reduce its carbon dioxide emissions by 75 percent compared to 2015. By 2050, it aims to eliminate 90 percent of this pollution, which is roughly in line with what researchers believe is necessary to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goal of halting climate change.
