Apple is now completely powered with renewable energy, company announces after green push

The company committed to do even more about its impact on the environment 'because we know the future depends on it'

In China the panels are mounted high off the ground, which means that the grass underneath can grow. It also means that the local yak can eat it (Apple)

Apple is now run completely on green energy, it has said.

The achievement covers all the different parts of Apple's operations: its shops, offices and data centres, which are spread across 43 different countries. And it is gradually encouraging more of its suppliers to do the same thing, with Apple announcing that nine more of its suppliers are now using green energy, taking the total to 23.

Apple has been gradually working to make its product and operations more environmentally friendly. That has included the construction of the new Apple Park campus, for instance, which has solar panels all the way around its huge roof to ensure that the giant donut-shaped complex is fully green.

The company has introduced similar projects around the world, including in China where it has built wind and solar projects to counteract the emissions that are generated by its manufacturing processes.

“We're committed to leaving the world better than we found it. After years of hard work we're proud to have reached this significant milestone,” said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO.

The 17-megawatt solar panel installation on top of the brand new Apple Park, which ensures that the company's new campus is powered entirely with renewables (Apple)

“We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it.”

Apple announced in 2014 that all of its data centres now run on renewable energy. It has kept up that commitment as it builds new ones – it is currently building two new data centres in Denmark, for instance, both of which will be powered using green energy from the moment they are turned on.

But much of Apple's actual products are made by suppliers, over which the company doesn't have direct control. It has been working to encourage those suppliers to improve their standards, including working to improve the conditions of people working in them.

The same applies to their environmental work. It has encouraged suppliers to follow its lead in using renewable energy, it said, and now 23 of them are committed to working on green power.