Lisa Jackson: “By 2030, Apple is committed to having a completely neutral carbon footprint”

Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO, explained in the context of the Climate Ambition Summit 2020, organized by the United Nations on Saturday, December 12, the importance of developing a “carbon neutral economy”. A conviction shared by Lisa Jackson, vice-president of environment, strategies and social initiatives of the company. Interview.

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Madame Figaro. – What are the new measures implemented by Apple to reduce its carbon footprint?
Lisa Jackson. – In Apple, we’ve used our funds – and our best ideas – to consider the environment in everything we do: the energy that powers our business, the components of our devices, the companies we work with. , and the health and safety of those who make and use our products. Our company has been reducing its carbon footprint for years, but we know there is still a long way to go. So we set ourselves a revolutionary goal to further reduce the impact we all have on the planet.

By 2030, we are committed to having a completely neutral carbon footprint. We are already neutral in terms of carbon emissions from our companies, especially with regard to business travel. Our equipment operates on 100 percent renewable electricity, and we invest in high-quality projects that work to protect and restore forests, wetlands and pastures. We are on the right track in terms of the supply chain. But we want to go further to cover our entire carbon footprint. From shipping our products around the world to the energy used to power our customers’ devices.

Until now, we have generally focused on recycling, upcycling, waste reduction, etc. But, over the past 18 months, the focus has been on something that people have only recently learned about: the digital pollution wrought by overuse of our phones, computers, and more. digital equipment. What has Apple put in place to reduce this pollution and further limit our use of these devices?
Apple aims to close the loop in its supply chain and would one day like to stop extracting materials from the ground. Much of our products contain more recycled material than ever before, but we won’t be happy until that number is 100 percent for all of our devices. Achieving this critical goal will help us further reduce our carbon footprint, and we are using our unparalleled innovative capabilities to make it happen.

And, perhaps even more important, we bring our knowledge together and use our influence to inspire others to do the same. We are working to support smart measures adopted around the world to better protect the planet, and make the transition to a future with a lower carbon footprint effective. We’ve also helped dozens of Apple suppliers make an energy transition. They now have a competitive advantage that will set them apart in the years to come. As for those who still hide their faces, they should know that time is running out. Our commitment to the planet means that we must work with partners who understand the importance of our mission.

In video, Tim Cook, Apple CEO, talks about the importance of developing a “carbon neutral economy”

Apple is reducing waste, but because it now manufactures a lot more devices, it also produces more waste. What measures have you adopted to remedy this problem? Making electrical devices also requires the use of rare earth elements, which must also be mined – copper, for example. Mining is a very polluting activity. How do you take this into account to reduce Apple’s ecological footprint?
The fact that Tim (Cook, CEO of Apple, Editor’s note) asks us to be the world leaders in terms of circular economy means that we must not extract from the ground the materials we need. So, let’s find the materials we need. And we found a first-rate source of it: our own products. We must therefore design them to be as durable as possible.

The first rule is to reduce the amount of current waste. The best way to do this in our world is to make products with extreme longevity. I have a friend who recently returned an iPhone that he had had for six years. It still had value because it still works. It works with the most recent software. It can now be used by someone else. My friend was able to acquire a newer model of iPhone that met his current needs.

This is the basis of what we offer: longevity. Apple now aims to someday make products made from 100 percent renewable and recycled materials. This means that we have to intelligently organize the way to recover these materials. Our latest product line contains more recycled elements than ever before. We also invest in research and development so that our industry can benefit from our cool robots.

In particular, we have robots that dismantle the products. One of them is called Daisy. The other Dave. They are advanced robots in terms of material recovery in our products. We offer our customers options such as trade-in or repair of their phone. More and more repair options elsewhere, so that our product can last. And if you decide you want a new version of the product in question, you can return it. Then you will know that your old product will have a new life, with a new owner.