Apple Reveals How It Will Change India's Renewable Energy Landscape By 2030, Water Conversation To Get A Big Push

To counter the emissions made by consumers to charge their devices, Apple has pledged to match every watt of charging electricity with clean energy by 2030.

Apple has announced that renewable energy deployments and water replenishment work in India are also amid new projects and partnerships. At the core of this announcement, there is an increase in clean electricity which now powers its worldwide operations and supply chain to over 18 gigawatts (triple the amount recorded in 2020). Above 300 suppliers representing 95 per cent of Apple's direct manufacturing spend have switched to renewable energy sources for production. As a result of this transition, 16.5 gigawatts of renewable capacity online in the company’s supply chain.

In order to address the emissions from the consumers who are charging their devices, the iPhone maker has pledged to match every watt of charging electricity with clean energy by 2030. A sharp increase has been seen in large-scale investments in new renewable capacity across multiple markets worldwide.

What Is Apple Doing For This

In India, Apple has partnered with CleanMax, a prominent renewable energy developer, in a collaborative effort to invest in a 14.4-megawatt portfolio comprising six rooftop solar projects. This localised renewable energy solution is aimed at fulfilling the power requirements of Apple's corporate offices, two retail stores, and various other operations throughout the country.

India holds significant importance for Apple's initiatives in water conservation as well. In the previous year, the company achieved a notable milestone of 100 per cent water replenishment for its corporate activities in India through an innovative program developed in collaboration with Uptime Catalyst Facility. This program facilitated the provision of 23 million gallons of clean and affordable drinking water through more than 300 community water kiosks.

Expanding on these efforts, Apple has announced new long-term partnerships focused on replenishing freshwater sources in the high-stress Indian states of Telangana and Maharashtra. These initiatives, backed by over $8 million in new project funding, are expected to generate a combined water benefit of 6.9 billion gallons over a span of 20 years. The strategies involved include restoring aquifers and rivers to address water scarcity challenges effectively.

Apple is adopting a comprehensive approach to address water stress globally, with initiatives underway in other critical regions such as Northern and Southern California in the United States and the Colorado River Basin in Arizona. Through its Supplier Clean Water Programme, the company has already achieved significant freshwater savings, totalling over 12 billion gallons within its supply chain just last year.

Globally, Apple's renewable energy strategies resulted in the procurement of 25.5 million megawatt-hours of clean electricity in 2023, preventing over 18.5 million metric tons of carbon emissions. Noteworthy investments like the China Clean Energy Fund have facilitated the development of more than 1 gigawatt of new wind and solar projects.

Being one of the world's largest tech firms, Apple is prioritising robust environmental initiatives as integral to its long-term strategy for the coming decade.

At last year's iPhone launch event, Apple dedicated a significant portion to explaining its efforts to reduce its carbon footprint. The event also marked the debut of Apple's first carbon-neutral products, such as the aluminium Apple Watch Series 9 or SE paired with the new Sport Loop band, which is carbon neutral.