05/17, 3:28pm
Facility to have two solar arrays, fuel cell farm
Apple's large-scale datacenter in Maiden, North Carolina will run entirely on renewable energy by the end of the year, the company has announced. Currently Apple is in the middle of buying equipment from Bloom Energy and SunPower Corp. to build not one but two solar arrays in the Maiden area; previously, only one was known to be in development. Once the equipment is in place, it should generate 84 million kWh of energy per year. Apple's fuel cell farm should be finished later in 2012.
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05/15, 1:37pm
Campaign over 'cloud' pollution escalates
Environmental activist group Greenpeace has staged a protest at Apple's Cupertino headquarters, notes AppleInsider. Images were projected onto the main building overnight, including supportive messages from users on Twitter and Facebook. Activists also secured themselves inside a so-called "survival device," measuring 8 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Four activists dressed themselves as iPhones, complete with screens again displaying messages from Twitter and Facebook.
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05/05, 9:31pm
Protesters point finger at coal-powered cloud
Apple's ongoing issues with environmental groups were thrust to the forefront today in Catawba County, NC, WCNC News reports. Protesters in Catawba blocked the train tracks leading to the Marshall Steam Station, which powers a data center Apple uses for its iCloud service.
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04/18, 12:15pm
Activists target Apple over
Four Greenpeace activists today organized a protest at Apple's office in Cork, Ireland, reports say. The people handed out leaflets, and posted signs on the side of the building, including ones that spelled out "Clean our cloud." Police and fire crews were called, and after an hour the activists voluntarily came down from the office's roof. Greenpeace is allegedly organizing related protests across Europe.
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04/17, 9:15pm
Cites bad data, says NC facility will use 20MW
Apple has responded to criticism from environmental pressure group Greenpeace, which yesterday issued a report criticizing some of the biggest technology companies for lack of transparency on using sustainable resources for their cloud data centers. The Mac maker said Greenpeace's claims regarding Apple's North Carolina data center are based on bad data, claiming that it uses five times the amount of power that it actually does.
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04/17, 12:05pm
Google, Facebook named among better firms
Apple, Amazon, and Microsoft are among companies Greenpeace is criticizing in a new report on sourcing clean power for datacenters. The activist organization has rated a little over a dozen Internet-based companies on factors like their consideration of clean power when picking a location, their advocacy for the idea, and how transparent their clean power strategy is. Apple and Amazon have each been given Fs for their location choices; some examples are Apple's datacenter in North Carolina, and Amazon's presence in Northern Virginia, both of which are said to be dependent on a mix of coal and nuclear power.
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04/16, 1:25pm
Apple has 'changed a lot,' activist says
Apple is planning to do a pollution audit of one of its parts suppliers, a Chinese environmental group tells the Wall Street Journal. A vice director for the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, Wang Ding, elaborates that the supplier makes printed circuit boards, but Wang is refusing to name the company. She does say that the IPE will be participating in the audit, and have help from professional auditors. The group is hoping to audit other Apple suppliers as well, but Wang adds that this is dependent "on Apple's and its suppliers' actions."
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03/07, 10:10am
Solar farm will help power North Carolina facility
A San Jose company, SunPower, has won the contract to build solar panels for the company's North Carolina datacenter, a filing with the state's Utilities Commission reveals. "Each of the photovoltaic installations will consist of multiple SunPower E20 435-watt photovoltaic modules on ground-mounted single axis tracking systems," the document reads. The solar farm is being built in phases, and could be ready to supply power in October.
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03/02, 3:25pm
Few alternatives said to exist
Bloom Energy is responsible for supplying the hardware behind Apple's upcoming 5MW fuel cell farm, two GigaOM sources claim. The company may already have some Bloom cells at its Cupertino headquarters. The 5MW farm will support Apple's datacenter in Maiden, North Carolina, helping the building to use cleaner, off-the-grid power in association with a solar array.
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02/21, 9:50am
Only two suppliers to be checked so far
Apple is telling activists in the US and China that it will soon permit independent environmental reviews of at least two Chinese suppliers, according to USA Today. Prominent Chinese activist Ma Jun, the founder of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, tells the paper that Apple agreed to the reviews in late January. The move is said to have been made in response to two reports by the IPE and other environmental groups, showing toxic chemical use and hazardous waste leaks at companies thought to be Apple suppliers. Apple rarely acknowledges which companies are a part of its supply chain.
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02/20, 3:05pm
Array among largest in US, Apple claims
Apple is promoting a forthcoming solar array at its Maiden, North Carolina datacenter as a part of its newly-released 2012 environmental report. The company claims that when it is finished, the facility will be the largest end-user-owned solar array in the US, generating 42 million kWh of power. It also says it has won LEED Platinum certification from the US Green Building Council.
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01/13, 1:25pm
Claims less underage labor, over 100 new audits
Apple has released its 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report (PDF), providing a brief glimpse into how it treated its supply chain during 2011. The company claims to maintain high standards for suppliers, and in 2011 it is said to have conducted 229 audits, up 80 percent over 2010. In the process it discovered six active and 13 historical instances of underage workers, spread across five factories. Apple blames weak controls on checking age or documentation at the facilities.
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01/13, 12:20pm
Apple business motivating factor
Cable maker Volex is switching to halogen-free power cables this year because of its primary customer, Apple, reports say. Burning halogen can result in the release of dioxins and furans, although the chemicals are only said to be a serious concern during the disposal process. Volex supplies both USB and power cables to Apple for products such as iPhones and iPads.
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11/16, 9:45am
NGOs split on outcome of event
On Tuesday, Apple met five Chinese environmental groups at its Beijing offices in order to talk supplier pollution problems, reports observe. The event is said to have lasted three and a half hours, and been attended by five Apple representatives as well as nine representatives from the environmental NGOs. The latter, however, are split on whether the outcome of the event was beneficial.
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11/09, 11:20am
HP, Dell, Nokia take top spots
Apple has risen a substantial five spots in the latest edition of Greenpeace's regular "Guide to Greener Electronics" rankings. The company has a score of 4.6 out of 10, nevertheless putting it in fourth place. Leading the charts are HP at 5.9, followed by Dell at 5.1, and Nokia at 4.9. Trailing behind Apple are Philips (4.5), Sony Ericsson (4.2), Samsung (4.1) and Lenovo (3.8).
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10/26, 9:40am
Should return Air, Pro shipments to normal
A major Apple supplier, Catcher Technology, has confirmed it will fully reopen a closed Chinese plant next week, according to Reuters. The facility has been in limbo since mid-October, when it was forced to temporarily shut down because of complaints of strange odors received by local government. Catcher has previously said it would resume operations by November, and spend about $2-3 million to reduce pollution.
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10/20, 12:25pm
Greener tech fo Apple portables?
Two newly-published Apple patent applications suggest an unexpected Apple interest in hydrogen fuel cells, AppleInsider notes. The first, Parallel fuel stack architecture, suggests a way of arranging cells into a stack. A common problem with stacks is said to be a tendency toward a single point of failure in a connected series. There can also be many kinds of vulnerabilities, such as degradation of the electrolyte, accumulation of nitrogen in the anode, and water flooding in the anode or cathode. The reliability of stacks can go down as the number of cells grows, Apple comments.
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10/17, 11:40am
Shipments will 'inevitably be affected'
Metal casing supplier Catcher Technology has partially shutdown a plant in eastern China, following environmental complaints made to the local government by area residents, says the Wall Street Journal. Catcher elaborates that the complaints revolved around a "strange odor" coming from the complex. The facility primarily supplies casing for the MacBook Air, as well as some smartphones.
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10/05, 12:00pm
Covered under Reuse and Recycle program
Apple has begun offering as much as $200 or more for used iPhone 4s as a part of its Reuse and Recycling program. The $200 figure applies to a 16GB iPhone 4 in good condition. For that amount a device must be fully functional, including the battery, and lack any scratches, scuffs, cracks or water damage. A person must also do a factory reset of iOS and supply the power adapter.
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08/31, 11:00am
Apple bends to pressure on eve of report's release
A new report issued by five Chinese NGOs accuses Apple of using known polluters as suppliers, and taking "advantage of the loopholes in developing countries’ environmental management systems." The Financial Times writes that the document has escalated a long-running standoff between Apple and one of the report's authors, Ma Jun, who heads the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs. Only hours before the report was released, the company finally agreed to meet with Ma to talk about his accusations. The director says that Apple claimed some of the factories on his list aren't Apple suppliers, but without going into detail.
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08/09, 4:20pm
All computers and monitors recycled for free
Apple has made two important changes to its Reuse and Recycling program. To begin with, the company is now taking in iPhones and iPads for reuse, in exchange for gift cards worth the devices' "fair market value." The cards can be used at Apple's retail or online stores. Previously, only desktop or notebook computers qualified.
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08/02, 12:50pm
Poisoned workers not being monitored as promised
Apple has been operating irresponsibly in China, both in terms of labor and the environment, Foreign Policy suggests. A new report focuses on poisoning at a Wintek factory, where the Apple supplier began cleaning iPhone screens with an agent containing n-hexane. Exposure to the chemical triggered nerve damage in 137 workers, such as Jia Jingchuan, profiled by FP. Jia ended up hospitalized for 10 months starting in August 2009.
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07/27, 9:35am
Possible integration a long-term prospect
Both Apple and Samsung have been evaluating the possibility of solar-powered products, claims Digitimes. The companies are also, in particular, said to be considering including Taiwanese solar firms in their supply chains. Some of the firms in question say though that markets may take time to develop. As an an example, industry sources add that a Samsung solar-powered netbook has an abnormally-sized solar cell, which is used in smaller numbers than with rooftop solar systems.
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04/21, 4:40pm
NC center could 'triple' Apple power consumption
As part of a report (PDF) rating several high-tech companies, Greenpeace has made public a critical stance of Apple's cloud-based environmental impact. The "clean energy index" rating for Apple's data services is just 6.7 percent, versus the likes of 21 percent for Twitter, 36.4 percent for Google and 55.9 percent for Yahoo. Apple was also given a "coal intensity" rating of 54.5 percent, in theory making it the most intense polluter among the group because of relatively high power consumption versus its coal power dependence.
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01/20, 4:35pm
Company dodging questions about polluters
A non-profit Chinese environmental group, the Institute of Environmental and Public Affairs, is ranking Apple last in a list of 29 multinational technology companies in terms of responsiveness and transparency, according to Bloomberg. The director of the Institute, Ma Jun, says that Apple has refused to confirm whether or not some suspected polluters are amongst its suppliers. The company is also dodging responsibility for environmental problems it is causing, Ma claims.
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08/25, 11:05am
Few other deivces to be excluded
Apple is not allowing the iPhone to be rated in a new environmental ranking scheme run by UK carrier O2, says The Guardian. Put together in partnership with a sustainability advisory group, Forum for the Future, the scheme rates phones based on the environmental impact of factors like manufacturing, packaging, energy efficiency and recyclability. Each device gets a score of zero to five based on 63 questions provided to manufacturers.
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03/25, 11:10pm
Sleeves made from hemp, use fleece liners
ColcaSac has expanded its series of protective cases beyond just MacBook offerings, with several new sleeves designed for the iPad, iPhone and iPods. The company delivers handmade sleeves and cases using environmentally friendly fabrics such as jute and hemp, considered to be stronger than cotton. The sleeves use polyester Sherpa fleece for the interior lining, protecting the device from scratches while adding cushioning.
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03/25, 12:05pm
Designs would 'harness' sunlight
Apple has been experimenting with the idea of using the sun or other light sources to illuminate notebook displays, a patent application reveals. Submitted in September 2008 but published just this week, a filing explains various means by which external light could be used to amplify an LCD's output, including more mundane options such as a light bulb accessory. The solar option would involve a rear-mounted "light harness," reflecting light into the back of a screen.
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02/25, 3:30pm
Company plans for 25 Chinese retail stores
Environmental issues played a significant role in today's Apple shareholders meeting, inside accounts say. Although the meeting was notable for the return of CEO Steve Jobs, now said to look "good" despite last year's medical problems, events were quickly upstaged by the Shelton Ehrlich, a Palo Alto man who insisted that Al Gore was ignorant about melting glaciers and other aspects of climate science. Gore, who serves on the Apple board of directors, is also known for his climate change advocacy.
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01/12, 11:00pm
Proposals spearheaded by activist group As You Sow
Apple's board is urging its shareholders to reject several proposals focused on environmental efforts. The company's annual proxy statement includes the board's recommendations for votes on seven proposals. Proposal No. 6, which will be submitted by John Powers from the activist group As You Sow, seeks to establish a sustainability report detailing information such as greenhouse gas emissions and toxic materials, while addressing employee and product safety.
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01/08, 4:20am
Samsung, Dell, Lenovo follow close behind
Greenpeace has announced its latest Guide to Greener Electronics, amid the plethora of product announcements this week at CES. The activist organization praises Apple for actively addressing environmental issues, with the removal of hazardous substances topping the list of priorities. Nokia leads the pack when comparing scores, with Sony Ericsson following close behind.
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10/09, 9:20am
Groups take sides in row over environmental laws
Both Greenpeace and the US Secretary of Energy are welcoming an Apple decision to abandon the US Chamber of Commerce. The former's toxics campaigner, Casey Harrell, on Thursday issued a statement which applauded Apple for confronting the Chamber over its opposition to mandatory limits on greenhouse gases. Apple is the first technology company to have removed itself from the Chamber over the issue, though it was preceded by shoe maker Nike, and several energy companies including Exelon, PNM Resources and Pacific Gas & Electric.
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10/06, 3:50pm
Company active on toxins, groups say
Two environmental advocacy groups have praised Apple in a joint report, newly distributed to the media. ChemSec and Clean Production Action claim that Apple is one of the more respectable companies in eliminating bromine and chlorine from its products, through an "innovative program that restricts the use of nearly all bromine and chlorine compounds across all their product lines," the groups say. A number of smaller Apple products -- including iPods and iPhones -- are now free from any PVC or BFRs (brominated flame retardants), and its computers are said to be mostly free of PVC, and entirely free of BFRs.
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10/05, 6:50pm
Chamber shunned for opposing greenhouse gas limits
Apple has sent a letter of resignation (PDF) to the US Chamber of Commerce over a disagreement involving proposed environmental legislation, the New York Times reports. Chamber president and chief executive Thomas J. Donohue recently voiced opposition to expanded EPA policies aimed at greenhouse gas emissions.
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09/30, 4:40pm
Dell, LG, Lenovo suffer criticisms
Activist group Greenpeace has released a new edition of its Guide to Greener Electronics, which ranks major high-tech corporations in terms of their alleged environmental friendliness. Among the companies favored by Greenpeace's press efforts is Apple, which the group notes recently disclosed its carbon emissions. Apple has risen in rankings from 11th to 9th, aided not by the disclosure but by being the "most progressive" computer maker in terms of removing product toxins.
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09/28, 9:15pm
Group suggests Greenpeace isn't the only watchdog
A California-based nonprofit, As You Sow, claims it has been a significant influence in Apple's latest campaign to develop environmentally-conscious practices. Although Greenpeace typically gets the first mention amongst organizations pushing companies to improve their methods, As You Sow suggests it directly engaged the Mac maker to disclose carbon footprint data.
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09/16, 4:05pm
Environmental organization claims health threat
Apple's latest iPhone, the 3GS, ranks almost squarely in the middle of smartphones in terms of radiation output, a non-profit activist organization says. The Environmental Working Group notes that according to compiled data, the 3GS produces approximately 1.19W/kg of radiation. The figure is substantially lower than the worst-case examples, the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and the Kyocera Jax S1300, which each produce 1.55W/kg.
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08/25, 5:55pm
Samsung on green tech
As part of Samsung's initiative to promote environmentally-friendly efforts, the company has highlighted the energy efficiency of current SSD storage and DDR3 memory components. The use of higher-density DDR3 memory is said to reduce power consumption by up to 70 percent compared to DDR2 modules. The power savings is attributed to lower voltage requirements, as low as 1.35 volts, and the energy-efficient 40nm manufacturing technology.
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08/24, 12:35pm
Apple political persuasion
Apple spent $390,000 in lobbying the US government during the second quarter of 2009, documents from the House of Representatives show. The sum is a $50,000 increase over the first quarter, and came despite slowing Mac and iPod sales. Apple's attempts to privately influence the government are recorded as connected to stimulus funding -- for educational technology, and increasing broadband penetration -- as well as a variety of environmental issues.
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07/01, 12:40pm
Greenpeace attacks PCs
Large PC builders are dragging their feet when it comes to environmental promises, claims Greenpeace. The activist group has once again updated its Guide to Greener Electronics, which assigns relative rankings to major high-tech corporations. A new development is the assignment of "penalty points" to major PC builders, including HP, Dell and Lenovo. The companies have delayed plans to strip PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from computers, Greenpeace says, and in the case of HP, none of its current systems have reduced toxicity.
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06/22, 11:00am
Apple vs. Dell ruling
Apple has been both vindicated and condemned in an advertising dispute with Dell, reports say. The latter company earlier filed a complaint with the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus, accusing Apple of potentially misleading the public by claiming its unibody MacBooks are the "greenest" notebooks on the market. Dell has asserted that its notebooks also meet high environmental standards, for instance by scaling down mercury, PVC and brominated flame retardant content.
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06/15, 7:10pm
Plan It Green game ships
Macgamestore has released National Geographic's Plan It Green, a game developed by Merscom. Users serve as the mayor of Greenville, a city which must be transformed into an environmentally friendly location. Gameplay is spread across 8 neighborhoods, with 45 levels that require completion of tasks such as renovating and rebuilding houses or business fixtures. To ensure the city is improving, users can view a Greendex that tracks the environmental sustainability.
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05/18, 3:35am
HOBO U30/NRC
Onset Computer Corporation has announced the HOBO U30/NRC Weather Station Starter Kit. The kit combines the company’s data-logging weather station and a series of plug-and-play weather sensors, with a focus on agricultural research, wind monitoring and ecology studies. The U30/NRC supports a maximum of 10 plug-and-play sensors connected to the logger. Each component is automatically recognized, eliminating most wiring, programming or calibration issues.
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05/13, 1:10pm
Dell bans ewaste exports
Dell has announced its tightened recycling policies that prohibit e-waste exports to developing countries. The company aims to prevent items such as computers, components and monitors from being shipped to countries that lack stringent environmental regulations, worker safety standards or effective enforcement. The amount of electronics items processed through its recycling program exceeds 290 million pounds through a period of approximately five years.
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03/31, 10:35am
Greenpeace shifts rankings
Several companies have shifted positions within Greenpeace's quarterly tech industry rankings, the latest report from the environmental group states. One of the notable increases in rank belongs Apple, which has risen four spots in the list to reach 10th place. All of the company's major products, barring power cords, are now claimed to be free of PVC plastic and brominated flame retardants (BFRs); Greenpeace criticizes the company, however, for using "unreasonably high" threshold limits in counting products as free of the chemicals.
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03/09, 10:55am
Apple ditches plastic bags
Apple has put a formal end to the use of plastic bags in its retail stores, say reports. Instead of giving bags to customers for taking products home, the company is now said to be offering help to carry large collections of goods to a person's car. As an alternative, people can ask Apple clerks to hold on to various items while they continue shopping at other outlets in a mall.
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02/25, 3:35pm
Apple board re-elected
Choosing at an annual meeting, Apple shareholders have voted to re-elect all members of the company's current board of directors. These include Al Gore, Intuit CEO Bill Campbell, J. Crew CEO Millard Drexler, Avon CEO Andrea Jung, Genentech head Arthur Levinson, Google CEO Eric Schmidt, and Harwinton Capital leader Jerome York. Most critical may be the re-election of Apple's own CEO, Steve Jobs, who together with the rest of the board will serve for at least one more year.
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01/16, 11:55am
Apple Aus. smashing gear
The Australian division of Apple has been destroying broken Macs which could nevertheless be repaired or recycled for parts, claims an individual involved in the process. An anonymous worker at a Sydney warehouse alleges that he was asked to help destroy some $200,000 worth of Apple gear, including iMacs, Xserves, MacBooks and Mac Pros, along with Mighty Mice and a copy of Final Cut Studio. The worker's crew is said to have used hammers and screwdrivers for the task, and gone to the extent of tearing up manuals. Everything, eventually, was crushed using a forklift, in response to complaints about it being visible over a dumpster's edge.
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12/21, 5:00pm
Dell vs. Apple on greening
Dominant PC builder Dell has sharply criticized Apple for its environmental claims, a promotional blog post reveals. The company's community VP, Bob Pearson, has specifically taken aim at a recent MacBook ad, which suggests that the new unibody systems are the "greenest" notebooks on the market. Apple is only making broad claims without providing any long-term plans or even facts to back them up, says Pearson.
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11/26, 12:05am
Greenpeace rates Apple
Apple has again lost ground against several competitors in the Greenpeace Greener Electronics ratings, despite a slight increase on the scale to 4.3 points. The environmental group cited positive changes in the computer manufacturer's processes and materials, including the removal of PVC and brominated flame retardants (BFRs) from some products, but noted that the company would have to completely phase-out such chemicals to score higher on the list. Greenpeace also noted that Apple needs to commit to timelines detailing the elimination of other hazardous materials from its products.
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