Apple today announced a new multi-year project with the World Wildlife Fund as a part of an expansion of its renewable energy and environmental protection initiatives in China. The project with the WWF aims to significantly increase responsibly managed forests across China.
“The new forestland program aims to protect as much as 1 million acres of responsibly managed working forests which provide fiber for pulp, paper and wood products.”
“Forests, like energy, can be renewable resources,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environmental Initiatives. “We believe we can run on naturally renewable resources and ensure that we protect—and create—as much sustainable working forest as needed to produce the virgin paper in our product packaging. This is an important step toward that goal and our commitment to leave the world better than we found it.”
Apple also announced its intent to expand its industry-leading renewable energy projects to manufacturing facilities in China. The announcement comes three week after the launch of its first major solar project in China, in a partnership with SunPower Corporation, which will see the building of two 20-megawatt solar power plants which will generate energy in the Sichuan Province that is in excess of what is required to power all of Apple’s corporate offices and retail stores in that country.
“We’ve set an example by greening our data centers, retail stores and corporate offices, and we’re ready to start leading the way toward reducing carbon emissions from manufacturing,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “This won’t happen overnight—in fact it will take years—but it’s important work that has to happen, and Apple is in a unique position to take the initiative toward this ambitious goal. It is a responsibility we accept. We are excited to work with leaders in our supply chain who want to be on the cutting edge of China’s green transformation.”
The solar projects are designed to minimize their ecological impact on the grasslands that support the country’s yak population, an important part of the local economy.
To learn more about Apple’s environmental efforts, visit the Apple – Environment website.
