Apple Inc on Wednesday said that it is cleaning up its manufacturing operations in China to reduce the air pollution caused by the factories that have assembled hundreds of millions of iPhones and iPads during the past eight years.
The company said that it is working with its Chinese suppliers to eventually produce 2.2 gigawatts of solar power and other sources of renewable energy.
The commitment represents Apple’s latest attempt to prevent the popularity of its devices and digital services from increasing the carbon emissions that are widely believed to be changing the Earth’s climate.
The company estimates that 20 million tonnes of greenhouse gas pollution will be avoided as more of its suppliers rely on renewable energy between now and 2020. That is like having 4 million fewer cars on the road for a year.
Panels capable of generating about 200 megawatts of solar power will be financed by Apple in the northern, southern and eastern regions of China, where many of its suppliers are located.
The California-based company is teaming up with its Chinese suppliers to build the capacity for the remaining 2 gigawatts of renewable energy, which will be a mix of solar, wind and hydroelectric power.
Foxconn Technology Group (富士康科技集團), which runs the factory where the most iPhones are assembled, is pledging to contribute 400 megawatts of solar power as part of the 2-gigawatt commitment. The solar panels to be built by 2018 in China’s Henan Province are supposed to produce as much renewable energy as Foxconn’s Zhengzhou factory consumes while making iPhones.
Apple has made protecting the environment a higher priority since Tim Cook replaced the late Steve Jobs as the company’s chief executive officer four years ago.
“Climate change is one of the great challenges of our time, and the time for action is now,” Cook said in a statement. “The transition to a new green economy requires innovation, ambition and purpose.”
Apple just completed projects in China that generate 40 megawatts of solar energy to offset the power required by its 24 stores and 19 offices in the country. All of Apple’s data centers, offices and stores in the US already have been running on renewable energy.
Meanwhile, Apple will keep investing in China despite slowing growth, Cook said, adding that the company plans to open its 21st mainland China store in the northeastern city of Dalian on Saturday.
“I know some people are worried about the economy. We’ll continue to invest,” Cook told the official Xinhua news agency late on Wednesday.
China’s economy logged its worst performance in the third quarter since the global financial crisis six years ago, with GDP growing just 6.9 percent, the government said on Monday.
Additional reporting by AFP
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