Wired
Following the issuance of $2.5 billion in “green bonds” in 2016 and 2017, Apple recently issued $2.2 billion in “green bonds” in Europe, and its proceeds will be used to support the reduction of global carbon emissions plans and others. Environmental protection plan.
Like Apple’s bonds issued in the US and other markets around the world, “green bonds” also serve to reduce the risk of investors’ investment by accepting paper certificates from reputable companies. The difference between the two is that green bonds allow the company to use the funds for environmental projects.
In this way, Apple can obtain funds without repatriating funds from overseas, which can help the company avoid high taxes. In addition, the bond allows Apple to write down the interest it has to pay to bondholders. In FY 2016, Apple said it has allocated a total of $441.5 million in green bond funds to 16 large projects. These projects are expected to bring in 127 MW of new renewable energy; save more than 20 million gallons of water; convert 6,670 metric tons of waste from landfills; and reduce 191,500 tons of carbon dioxide a year. Prior to the $2.2 billion “green bond” issued this time, Apple’s previous “green bond” was the $1.5 billion in 2016 and achieved good results, including the following: 1. Liam Project – high quality recycling robot. Liam is actually a robotic pipeline currently running in California and the Netherlands. It can dismantle 1.2 million iPhones per year for Apple, and high-quality components will be recycled after disassembly. 2. The size of the Apple Safer Materials Testing Lab has doubled. For hazardous substances beyond the law, Apple has developed a set of regulatory substance specifications detailing the company’s global restrictions on specific chemicals and materials used in products, accessories, manufacturing processes, and packaging transportation. To this end, green bonds have increased the scale of Apple’s investment in environmental testing laboratories at Cupertino headquarters. The area of the lab is now 20 times that of the time it was first established 10 years ago.
3. Apple Park: The most energy efficient building of its kind. Green Bond also funded the new Apple Park in Cupertino, Calif., for a range of renewable energy and energy efficiency projects, including on-site renewable energy, battery storage, and LED energy efficiency lighting – saving 25% Energy consumption, passive cooling systems – Reduce the cooling system load of buildings through a poor, mild climate, which is about 35% less energy-consuming than traditional.
In addition, Apple Park is powered by 100% renewable energy from 4 megawatts of biogas fuel cells and a 16 megawatt solar rooftop PV system. Moreover, the park also has its own power grid, so even if the external power is cut off, it will not affect its operation.
4. Drought-tolerant company facilities across Silicon Valley. Part of the 2016 green bond investment was used to increase the landscape irrigation system of these buildings, such as the use of higher water flow sensors, irrigation water meters and irrigation controllers, which can accurately manage the water consumption and energy of the landscape. Corresponding response to weather conditions.
5. Apple’s new LEED Gold campus in Austin, Texas. Designed to be certified by the US Green Building Council, the park is equipped with LED lighting systems, efficient water equipment, water retention ponds and local drought-tolerant plants. It is reported that these plants will be irrigated by a 600,000 gallon rainwater storage tank.
These environmentally friendly designs are expected to save 6.692 million kWh of energy and 4.3 million gallons of water per year, which are already higher than local building codes. In addition, the park is equipped with a 1.5 megawatt solar roof that produces 195.99 kWh of renewable energy per year.
6. A new solar power plant built for iCloud. Green Bond was also used in two of the renewable energy projects of Apple’s iCloud data center in Maiden, North Carolina and Mesa, Arizona, continuing the company’s tradition of using fully renewable energy since 2015.
The new solar matrix generates a total of 39.5 million kWh of electricity, which is equivalent to powering more than 2,900 homes for a year. The use of this renewable energy can reduce more than 18,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per year for the Earth.