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Apple likes to emphasise the work it does to protect the environment, but how robust are its green commitments?
Cast your mind back to October 2020. While most of us are dealing with some form of lockdown or Covid-19 restriction, Lisa Jackson is on the roof of Apple Park.
It is that year’s crucial iPhone keynote address and Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives is explaining how, by 2030, “we plan to have Net Zero climate impact.” She points out previous environmental progress the firm has made and announces new developments, for instance that the magnets in the iPhone 12 Lisa Jackson is now Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. use 100% recycled rare earth elements. Oh, and EarPods headphones and power adaptors are no longer going to be included in the box with a new iPhone, helping to reduce packaging, materials required and carbon emissions.
Apple had long talked about its environmental concerns, but for many that was the moment the commitment became clear. The company was literally shouting about it from the rooftops!
Jackson’s appointment to her role is an important element in the story. She joined Apple in 2013, having previously served as administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under president Barack Obama. She reports directly to CEO Tim Cook, underlining the value he puts on her work. Indeed, he announced the hire himself at the AllThingsD conference in May 2013. Part of the conversation focused on Apple’s environmental initiatives, and he used the opportunity to tell the audience: “Lisa Jackson is joining Apple. Lisa was running the EPA for the last four years. She’s going to be coordinating a lot of this activity across the company.” He added that Jackson, a trained chemical engineer, would “fit right in with our culture.” Arguably, she has not just fitted into company culture but helped shaped it. Jackson is now a regular speaker at Apple keynote events, explaining the latest environmental steps being taken in Cupertino and beyond.
As said, those goals all lead to Apple achieving net zero by the end of the decade. This is not just about what happens at company HQ or even its factories. The intention is that Apple will be carbon neutral across its business, supply chain and product life cycle. It is a huge undertaking requiring the same level of commitment from numerous third parties.
Cut to September 2023. Octavia Spencer is in the Apple boardroom. The Oscar winning actor and star of the Apple TV+ series Truth Be Toldis playing Mother Nature. She is demanding an update on environmental initiatives from top Apple execs. Cook is there, as is Jackson, helping to emphasise how important this all is to their firm. Among
