AppleInsider Staff
Days after announcing new sustainability projects in the U.S. and China, Apple on Monday unveiled a new two-minute video highlighting the company's commitment to environmental responsibility.
Entitled "Better Starts Here," the video begins with a list of chemicals and additives — Â BFRs, PCG, phthalate, beryllium, arsenic, lead, and mercury — Â that the company leaves out of its products, a list likely familiar to anyone who has watched an Apple keynote. Apple goes on to say that its smaller, more efficient devices use up to 59 percent less power now than they did in the past, though the scope of that timeline is not precisely defined.
"We think about power, and how to power that power," the narrator says, segueing from products to Apple's rollout of renewable energy. "Because our ecosystem is part of a larger one."
The video shows Apple's new 40-megawatt solar plant in Hongyuan, China, which the company says will provide enough energy to power all of its stores and offices throughout the country. It also calls out Apple's hydroelectric plant in Oregon and the recently-announced purchase of 35,000 acres of forest for sustainable packaging strategies.
"We're learning more and more about new place where we can be better," the video concludes. "With renewable energy, hydropower, and forest preservation — new ways in which we can leave the world better than we found it."
Apple began the "Better" environmental awareness campaign in April of last year, with a video narrated by company chief Tim Cook.
Malcolm Owen
William Gallagher
Charles Martin
Christine McKee
Wesley Hilliard
Andrew Orr
11 Comments
Excellent Apple! Keep up the good work.
i love how apple does its best to make sure that workers rights and conditions are being upheld, try their best to make sure raw materials are being extracted by workers in a way satisfying to some sort of regulation, try to get more renewable energy to their facilities, do not data mine- and still make great products (imo) and rake in the money and customer satisfaction and high resale value ... i could go on ... and people still b*tch and complain apple is not doing enough _________.
the most responsible company that i know of-- keep doing what you are doing.
The narrator is Lisa Jackson, Apple VP of Environment. The video is beautiful. The video team is killing it—I'm basing my view on this new video, the new MacBook's Design video, and the Apple Watch's Reveal video. [quote name="revenant" url="/t/185864/apple-touts-its-environmental-bona-fides-in-new-promotional-video/0_100#post_2712352"]the most responsible company that i know of-- keep doing what you are doing. [/quote] I agree, I don't see any other (consumer electronics) company doing better than Apple in this area. If there are, it should be publicised more so other companies are "inspired" to follow (so to speak) and so we as consumers can have an easier time to pick which companies are environmentally conscious so we can support them and their efforts.
Yes and I wish more politicians who support environmental action would use Apple as an example proving that companies can be environmentally responsible, but still earn huge profits.
Even if one doesn't believe in man-made global warming, everything we do to help the environment improves our health and would reduce cancer rates and respiratory diseases if not other diseases as well.
I'm sure Apple isn't perfect, especially when it comes to rare earth elements, but they seem to be doing more than any other company.
Having said that, in NYC, you get your electricity from Con Edison. The bill is split into two parts, delivery and supply. You can have another, supposedly green company supply your electricity, but that doesn't mean that the electricity delivered to your home or business is coming from that supply. It just means that electricity supplied by that green company is supposedly getting added to Con Ed's total mix of electricity. Apple's stores in NYC are getting the same electricity as everyone else gets. Frankly, I've always been a bit suspect about this entire process and have to wonder if it's a scam.
Our government needs to help all companies achieve this type of excellence! I own a company that has 30 stores. 29 of the 30 markets do not offer any type of assistance for renewable energy. The ROI by itself doesn't work. We do not make enough profit to offset these on our own. It is sad as I would love to incorporate more green into what we do.