Apple said on Tuesday that three of its Apple Watch models will come in so-called carbon-neutral versions and have new green logos on the boxes, with the biggest change being that more shipping will be by ship instead of plane.
Apple aims to become carbon neutral by 2030, including its supply chain. One of the biggest challenges in achieving this goal is reducing emissions from Apple’s rapid transit network, which relies heavily on aircraft.
Apple is a pioneer in using planes to ship consumer electronics products from factories in China around the world, helping reduce the inventory it needs to hold and boosting profits.
Apple executives said that for the three new watches, half the weight of the shipment from factories to destinations such as regional distribution centers will be done by ship, train or other non-air methods that burn less fuel and produce less environmentally friendly waste. Warming also produces fewer carbon emissions, he said in an interview at Apple’s Cupertino, Calif., headquarters.
Emissions from the three green label versions of Apple Watch Series 9, Apple Watch SE and Apple Watch Ultra 2 will be lower than Apple’s baseline estimates based on previous products, and Apple will purchase carbon offsets to offset the remaining emissions, said Lisa Jackson The Company’s Environmental and Governance Efforts.
“Theoretically we could do it (buy offsets) tomorrow and everything would be carbon neutral, but we want to be very clear that we are taking every action we know how to reduce (emissions) using existing technology ,” Jackson said.
The company has previously said that a Series 8 watch generates 33 kilograms of carbon emissions from raw materials to delivery to the end customer.
After Apple makes the change, the new climate-friendly aluminum Series 9 with Sport Band will have 8.1 kilograms of emissions left, and the company will make up for the remaining emissions by purchasing carbon credits. By comparison, the standard stainless steel version of the Series 9 with the same strap emits 29kg.
Apple has been working to reduce its carbon emissions for some time. All new watches, including the standard version, also use custom aluminum and titanium alloys made from recycled materials, as well as batteries containing only recycled cobalt, a mineral whose mining raises climate and human rights concerns.
“We absolutely plan to roll this out” to more Apple products in the future, John Ternus, the company’s head of hardware engineering, told Reuters. “As we move forward and engage with suppliers in the supply chain for these recycled materials, we find that we are often the first to talk to them about it.”
The price of the Green Label watch is the same as the standard version. Executives did not comment directly on whether their profits would be lower than standard companies, but Jackson said Apple is focused on making changes that it and other businesses can make in the future.
“In order to make this replicable, there can’t be a premium because most businesses are willing to make changes, but they still need to be able to do business, make money, pay workers and buy materials,” Jackson said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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