Apple’s paper packaging will soon be completely sustainable
Apple’s paper packaging will soon be completely sustainable
Apple has long been known for their efforts in producing smartly designed products complete with minimalist packaging, but have you heard about their efforts at environmental conservation? The tech giant has just recently had about 320,000 acres of working forest in China certified by the Forest Stewardship Council as being “responsibly managed”.
This basically means that Apple is now protecting or has created enough sustainable forest to offset the fiber used in their product packaging. Apple Insider reports that Apple has stated that 2/3s of this newly certified forest is owned and managed by Maoyuan Forestry in Hunan province, while the remainder is managed by the state-owned Qinlian Forestry Company in Guangxi.
It seems the World Wildlife Fund also worked with both companies to help them implement forest management plans and training for employees to help them identify High Conservation Value Forest, hence helping to speed up the process.
Lisa Jackson, VP of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives, said “the Chinese were willing to be wonderful partners, both on the private- and public-sector side because they have a real appreciation for the forest resource” , so we can probably expect to see more such initiatives in the future.
Apple's forestry initiative started in early 2015 with the purchase of 36,000 acres of vulnerable forest land in Maine and North Carolina through The Conservation Fund's Working Forest Fund. In March, yields from these two states hit 100% carbon neutral. The next year, Apple started applying pressure on its Asian supply chain to commit to clean energy agreements, hence moving closer to their stated goal of powering all their facilities worldwide with 100% renewable energy.
Sources: Apple Insider, Apple Environmental Responsibility Report