After being criticized on several occasions for alleged deplorable conditions in its China factories, Apple is making inroads to promote environmental protection and renewable energy initiatives in the country.
Apple is looking to promote a greener China and is working on a multi-year project with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) to increase the number of "responsibly managed" forests in the region. The green practice initiative looks to protect over 1 million acres of forestland that provide raw material for paper, fiber for pulp and wooden products.
"Apple's support for this project and its environmental leadership show that protecting forests is not just good for society but important for business," revealed Lo Sze Ping, CEO of WWF China. "This collaboration between our two organizations will seek to reduce China's ecological footprint by helping produce more wood from responsibly managed forests within its own borders."
The company aims to achieve "net-zero impact" on the global supply of maintainable virgin fiber, and also fuel its global operations completely on renewable energy. In its bid to go greener, Apple also hopes to expand the reach of renewable energy projects to industrial facilities in China.
Apple already has several efforts aimed at "greening" its retail stores, data centers and offices. The company is now focusing on the reduction of carbon emission that occurs due to factories. Apple CEO Tim Cook is optimistic of the success of the company's efforts but agrees that the initiative could take years to show the effects.
Cook also said that Apple will also attempt to get its suppliers in China, as well as contract-based manufacturers in the region, to become part of the greening efforts. The use of renewable energy to fuel their industrial plants will be a step in this direction.
"We are excited to work with leaders in our supply chain who want to be on the cutting edge of China's green transformation," said Cook in a statement on Sunday, May 10.
Apple is hoping to lead by example and, three weeks prior to the current announcement, it invested in two solar projects in China that will generate more energy than what Apple currently uses in its China-based offices and retail stores.
