Apple Inc said recently it has nearly doubled the number of suppliers using only clean energy for production work, including two that assemble and make the processor chips for the iPhone.
Apple last year said it meets all of its needs with renewable energy such as solar farms that power data centers. But a large part of its carbon footprint comes from its supply chain, and since 2015 Apple has worked directly with those companies to use clean energy for Apple production.
Forty-four companies are now in the program, Apple said, including Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, whose Foxconn unit makes iPhones, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd, which supplies the A-series chips that power all of Apple's mobile devices. Apple had previously disclosed 23 suppliers in the program.
The company defines clean energy as coming from wind, solar or bio-gas fuel cells, as well as what it calls “low-impact” hydroelectric projects like a site in Oregon that captures energy from water in irrigation canals to power one of its data centers.
