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On 15 August 2022, Ethical Consumer viewed Apple Inc’s 2022 Environmental Progress Report, the most recent available, covering the financial year 2021.

A strong policy would include two future, quantified environmental targets, demonstration by the company that it had a reasonable understanding of its main environmental impacts, be dated within two years and have its environmental data independently verified.

The report addressed several areas in which the company had an environmental impact, including energy for its Apple facilities, materials found in its technology products, water use, toxics, and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the manufacturing, transportation, use, and end of life of its products. The report also contained disclosure of Apple’s greenhouse gas emissions broken down by source, scope and location. The report featured past achievements including transitioning to 100% renewable energy for its Apple facilities and having carbon neutral corporate operations since April 2020. The company was considered to demonstrate reasonable understanding of its environmental impacts.

The report included the following targets:

The reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 61.7 percent by fiscal year 2030 relative to 2019 emissions (SBTI approved)

Transition [its] entire product supply chain to 100% renewable electricity by 2030

Eliminate plastics in packaging by 2025

Third-party assurance was provided by Apex for Apple's consumption in its worldwide occupied properties regarding: energy, renewable energy, water withdrawal, greenhouse gas, waste quantities and disposition, paper quantities and robustness of methodology for data capture. Fraunhofer Institute provided assurance for product life cycle, carbon footprint, comprehensive fiber footprint and packaging plastic footprint data.

Overall, Apple received Ethical Consumer's Best rating for environmental reporting.

Reference:

Environmental Progress Report 2021 (23 July 2021)