Apple claims global operations now run on 100% renewable power

Apple has confirmed the entire company is now powered 100% by renewable energy – four years after its datacentre estate hit a similar milestone.

The consumer electronics giant claims all the retail stores, offices and datacentres it operates across 43 countries are now renewably powered, and that an increasing number of its manufacturing partners are also committing to using green energy when making Apple products.

More than 23 Apple suppliers are known to have pledged their support for its green energy initiatives, and – collectively – their work has contributed towards preventing 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases being released into the atmosphere in 2017, said Apple.

“We’re committed to leaving the world better than we found it. After years of hard work we’re proud to have reached this significant milestone,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook.

“We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it.”

As part of its push to become a 100% renewably powered company, Apple has invested in 25 energy projects across the world that provide it with 626 megawatts of green energy capacity, with 15 similar initiatives currently under construction.

These projects are centred on driving up the availability of solar arrays, wind farms, biogas fuel cells and energy storage technologies within the areas of the world that Apple operates.

The company claims all of its datacentres have been exclusively powered by renewable energy since 2014 – a trend it plans to uphold with the opening of its newly-announced 400,000 square foot datacentre in Waukee, Iowa.

Its efforts on this front have previously garnered praise from environmental groups, including Greenpeace, who flagged the firm as leading the charge towards the creation of a greener and more sustainable internet in its 2017 Clicking Clean report.