Apple says it’s using 100% renewable energy in China and Singapore (sorta)

Photo via Pixabay

At today’s Apple event in Cupertino, Lisa Jackson took the stage to talk about the company’s environmental efforts, and shared some relatively impressive news.

Apple, Jackson said, is 93 percent renewable worldwide in its offices, Apple Stores, and data centers. But in the US, China, and Singapore, Apple is already using 100 percent renewable energy.

There is a bit of an asterisk that Jackson didn’t share

That has been achieved in part by local, Apple-led renewable energy projects, according to Jackson. Apple has built two 20 megawatt solar farms in Sichuan, for example, that help move the company towards its renewable goals while maintaining the usability of the local farmland for yak farmers. In Singapore, where space is at a premium, Apple has put solar arrays on more than 800 rooftops.

“Every time you send an iMessage,” Jackson said, “you can feel really good about reducing your impact on the environment.”

Apple’s achievement is certainly impressive, but there is a bit of an asterisk that Jackson didn’t share: it only applies to Apple’s own facilities, not those of its suppliers and subcontractors. So while all of Apple’s stores, offices, and data centers in China are running on renewable energy, the companies manufacturing and shipping its devices around almost certainly are not. That means your iPhone isn’t carbon-neutral even though the Apple Store you bought it from is. Still, 100 percent carbon neutral Apple operations in China, Singapore, and the US is a damn good start!

Apple also announced a few other environmental efforts, including ongoing forest preservation efforts in China and a new robot named “Liam” that will deconstruct recycled iPhones to recover more of the materials for reuse.