Apple said on Monday that 93% of its worldwide facilities run on renewable energy, signaling that the company still has some work to do to reach its goal set two years ago of operating entirely on clean power.
Lisa Jackson, Apple’s VP of environment, policy and social initiatives, said on stage at an Apple press event that the company has reached the 100% renewable energy goal in 23 countries. But she conceded that more must be done.
To move to renewable energy, Apple (AAPL) is both buying clean energy from existing sources as well as finding ways to build entirely new sources whenever and wherever possible. For example, it recently built a solar energy farm in China that doesn’t disrupt the local communities, Jackson explained while showing photos of yaks grazing under the elevated solar panels. Apple’s renewable energy sources tap into a variety of energy supplies, from the more conventional micro-hydro power to fancier wind and solar farms.
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Apple’s environmental efforts also extend to its products. The company introduced Apple Renew, a new device recycling program. All customers must do is bring their device to an Apple Store, said Jackson, and Apple does the rest.
“When it’s time, Liam deconstructs your iPhone,” Jackson said of Apple’s recycling robot.
Liam’s job is take apart the entire phone, down to the components of each part like the battery and camera, and separate them. Substances like the gold in the iPhone’s camera can be reused for new devices or tools. In February, Bloomberg published an article about Apple’s device recycling operations, noting the company’s efforts to track and reuse virtually every piece of recycled devices.