Apple
Driven by a commitment to environmental stewardship, Apple has become a leader in sustainable business practices throughout its global operations. The company has already achieved carbon neutrality for its corporate emissions and plans to bring its entire footprint, including all its supply chains, to net zero energy by 2030. The company focuses its environmental strategy on three core areas: climate change, smarter chemistry, and resources, which prioritizes renewable materials, zero waste, and water stewardship.
Context
Among technology companies, Apple was one of the first to prioritize water conservation as part of its overall sustainability plan and continues to be at the forefront of water stewardship efforts.
Apple’s headquarters, Apple Park in Cupertino, California, uses municipal recycled water throughout its restrooms, cooling systems, and landscaping. (Arne Müseler)
Water conservation strategies
Water use monitoring and technology
Apple leverages data to measure and monitor its water use to understand its local footprint at each of its locations worldwide. Each area has unique water conditions, so the company takes advantage of tools like the World Resources Institute Water Risk Atlas to understand geographically specific water consumption and water-related risks to inform local strategies. Using these tools, Apple prioritizes investment in water conservation technologies based on each corporate location’s water risk profile.
Alternate water sources
Apple owns or operates 11 data centers worldwide, using chilled water or adiabatic cooling, including direct and indirect evaporation, to air-condition and keep servers cool and functioning properly. In total, Apple facilities used 1.29 billion gallons of water in 2020, 90 percent of which was potable freshwater. Through municipal recycled water, rainwater capture, and condensate recovery, over 9 percent of Apple’s water is from recycled sources—a number that is increasing. Apple’s Prineville, Oregon, data center was the first Apple-owned or operated site—and the first data center worldwide—to achieve certification under the Alliance for Water Stewardship, a third-party certification program that provides an accountability framework for companies seeking to demonstrate responsible water stewardship.
Recycled water infrastructure investment
Apple has also invested in public utility infrastructure to increase the availability of both fresh and recycled water near data centers and offices. At the data center in Prineville, Apple partnered with the city to create an aquifer storage and recovery system that will hold up to 180 million gallons of water for use in peak months, reducing pressure on the local watershed. Apple also made significant investments in recycled water infrastructure for Apple Park, its Cupertino headquarters that was completed in 2017. The company collaborated with the Santa Clara Valley Water District, the city of Sunnyvale, and the California Water Service Company to extend the region’s recycled water purple pipes and make the resource more accessible to the community. The project, which required the installation of about 2.5 miles of pipeline, has allowed the Apple campus to use recycled water throughout its restrooms, cooling system, and landscaping. Recycled water has been an important part of achieving Steve Jobs’ vision for the campus, which embraces nature and features native plants and fruit trees throughout the property as an homage to the site’s pastoral roots.
Apple Park features native plants and fruit trees throughout the property as an homage to the site’s pastoral roots. (Nigel Young / Foster + Partners)
Outcomes
Through a combination of efficiency projects and the use of alternate water sources, Apple has conserved more than 132 million gallons of freshwater since 2017. Apple’s efforts to reduce its freshwater withdrawals and return clean water to the watersheds in which it operates reflects the company’s commitment to managing this shared resource responsibly.
