Apple Tops Greenpeace Clean Energy Index Based on Renewable Energy Initiatives

MacRumors · May 12, 2015

Apple continues to set the bar among technology companies for its commitment to running its worldwide operations on renewable energy, topping Amazon, Facebook, Google, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Yahoo and other large corporations in Greenpeace's Clean Energy Index included as part of its 2015 Click Clean Report [PDF].

"The report found that Apple continues to be the most aggressive in powering its data center operations with renewable energy. Despite continued rapid growth, Apple appears to have kept pace with its supply of renewable energy, maintaining its claim of a 100% renewably powered cloud for another year, followed by Yahoo, Facebook and Google with 73%, 49% and 46% clean energy respectively. Greenpeace found that Amazon's current investments would deliver an energy mix of 23% renewable energy for its operations."

The annual report is based on energy transparency, renewable energy commitment and policy, energy efficiency and mitigation, and renewable energy deployment and advocacy, all categories in which Apple received an A, the highest score awarded. Apple was the only technology company with a perfect scorecard in the report.

Greenpeace has been evaluating the energy demand of the internet and internet-related companies since 2010. The non-governmental environmental activist group was critical of Apple's environmental record for several years, and remained skeptical about the company's early push into renewable energy sources, but started recognizing and commending the iPhone maker for its efforts beginning last year.

Apple shared its 2015 Environmental Responsibility Report in April, reflecting on the company's environmental progress during the 2014 fiscal year. The report highlights that 100% of the company's U.S. operations and 87% of its global operations are run on renewable energy. The report also reveals that Apple emitted 34.2 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions during the 12-month period ending September.

Greenpeace's full-length 2015 Click Clean Report [PDF] offers in-depth information about environmental initiatives that Apple and other technology companies have been undertaking, renewable energy for the cloud, powering data centers with renewable energy, a road map to a green internet and more. It also explains the methodology behind its letter-based scoring system.

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Article Link: Apple Tops Greenpeace Clean Energy Index Based on Renewable Energy Initiatives

dannyyankou · May 12, 2015

Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

jayducharme · May 12, 2015

It seems almost humorous that Oracle powers 50% of their operations with coal, as if they're an 1800s industrial age company. And what's up with Amazon's "transparency" grade? Are they actively hiding their energy initiatives (or lack thereof)?

iWillNotUpgrade · May 12, 2015

Key reason why I value Apple more highly than the competitors.

Surely, there's lots of room left for improvement but at least they're taking strides in the right direction.

NachoGrande · May 12, 2015

and now let's look at their manufacturing...

Daveoc64 · May 12, 2015

jayducharme said:
And what's up with Amazon's "transparency" grade? Are they actively hiding their energy initiatives (or lack thereof)?

They just don't state what they are doing in this area. Most of the companies listed view it as a selling point.

ToroidalZeus · May 12, 2015

NachoGrande said:
and now let's look at their manufacturing...

Was just about to say this.

Apple: 100% of manufacturing Coal (in China).

ravenstar · May 12, 2015

I'm curious, how is Apple achieving its 100% renewable energy rating? I know they've installed huge banks of solar panels, but those only work during the day. Are they storing enough energy to power their data centers though the night? Or are they drawing from other sources like wind and hydro to make up the difference?

Or, are they over-producing power from solar during the day and then taking back from the grid when solar isn't sufficient?

If the latter, while I applaud their effort, it's not really 100% clean.

Iconoclysm · May 12, 2015

NachoGrande said:
and now let's look at their manufacturing...

And now, let's look at their competition...no really, why are you rolling your eyes? They're doing better than everyone else.

Iconoclysm · May 12, 2015

ravenstar said:
I'm curious, how is Apple achieving its 100% renewable energy rating? I know they've installed huge banks of solar panels, but those only work during the day. Are they storing enough energy to power their data centers though the night? Or are they drawing from other sources like wind and hydro to make up the difference?

Or, are they over-producing power from solar during the day and then taking back from the grid when solar isn't sufficient?

If the latter, while I applaud their effort, it's not really 100% clean.

Actually, that would be 100% clean and possibly even cleaner than 100%.

patrickcwelsh · May 12, 2015

dannyyankou said:
Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

I wish they would.

Tiger8 · May 12, 2015

jayducharme said:
It seems almost humorous that Oracle powers 50% of their operations with coal, as if they're an 1800s industrial age company. And what's up with Amazon's "transparency" grade? Are they actively hiding their energy initiatives (or lack thereof)?

Oralce has bought over 100 MASSIVE companies over the past decade or so, no wonder why it's all over the place.

Rumor has it they are buying SalesForce too

bbplayer5 · May 12, 2015

dannyyankou said:
Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

This is one thing I want every company to copy.

Tech198 · May 12, 2015

dannyyankou said:
Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

True...too much plastic in the world i tells ya...

They have stats for everything now-days

and looks like Microsoft bombed out.
Yay.. Apple :apple:

Not gonna say any stats can be rigged in someones favor..... but :apple:

has been doing good here also i'm shocked there is that a big of a difference ?

...then again... it's also not surprising either

DavidTheExpert · May 12, 2015

I wonder if this has any impact on their public relations whatsoever. I see that Amazon is one of the worst ranked on the chart, but I have absolutely no intention of stopping using Amazon.

phillipduran · May 12, 2015

Screw clean energy. We need cheap energy. Please use coal! Debt, massive unemployment, businesses clearing out and moving to other countries because of high energy costs.

Not using coal is gutting America financially. If this isn't realized soon, this country is going to fall apart.

It's as simple as that.

AlecZ · May 12, 2015

dannyyankou said:
Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

Yeah, they can.

DakotaGuy · May 12, 2015

ToroidalZeus said:
Was just about to say this.

Apple: 100% of manufacturing Coal (in China).

Yes Apple's manufacturing in China is dirty (along with the rest) and pollution levels in China keep growing, but everyone always forgets about this because Apple is perfect in many people's eyes.

AlecZ · May 12, 2015

Interesting how nuclear power is considered non-clean on these charts.

InuNacho · May 12, 2015

phillipduran said:
Screw clean energy. We need cheap energy. Please use coal! Debt, massive unemployment, businesses clearing out and moving to other countries because of high energy costs.

Not using coal is gutting America financially. If this isn't realized soon, this country is going to fall apart.

It's as simple as that.

So we should continue our AMERICAN QUEST for leveling mountain tops, starting decades long underground fires, and making entire regions of the country uninhabitable for the next thousand years?

crsh1976 · May 12, 2015

Of course Apple get a 100% clean energy score - they rent out facilities and hire shipment companies to move products around the world by air, sea and ground.

They don't directly own any of this, so they're technically not responsible for any sort of pollution or toxic wastes.

If all we count are a handful of office buildings with some solar panels, and where paper/used water get recycled in some way, then yes I guess they score 100%.

This greenwashing stuff makes me gag.

dannyyankou · May 12, 2015

AlecZ said:
Yeah, they can.

But they don't want to.

bcc2k · May 12, 2015

dannyyankou said:
Now that's something the other companies can't copy.

Actually I hope that they are copying that

gnasher729 · May 12, 2015

ToroidalZeus said:
Was just about to say this.

Apple: 100% of manufacturing Coal (in China).

Could you please post some reliable sources for that?

----------

AlecZ said:
Interesting how nuclear power is considered non-clean on these charts.

It's clean until something goes wrong. When something goes wrong, it is very, very, very unclean.

Gav2k · May 12, 2015

Regardless of the findings green peace needs to look at there own practices

Apple Tops Greenpeace Clean Energy Index Based on Renewable Energy Initiatives

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