Abstract
Environmental sustainability describes a situation in which the relevant authorities may address the conditions imposed on the environment without compromising the ecosystem’s potential. Through the above efforts, populations can survive appropriately now and in the future. Due to a considerable amount of information pointing to genuine transformations in the Planet’s resources, sustainable development examines strategies to limit the extraction of non-renewable supplies and the harm caused to the ecosystem. Hence, the environmental sustainability seeks to prevent the deterioration of non-recyclable resources. There is a risk of the atmosphere warming by two degrees if the population does not take prompt action. Considering all scientific facts, protecting the environment is a move toward lessening the harmful impact on the environment. Activities such as strategy or successive planning, as well as strengthening safety oversight, assist a firm in shaping its future (Arora & Panosyan, 2019). Therefore, every company’s management board should actively explore ideas and diverse points of view that contribute to making the environment clean and safe for everyone.
Introduction
Many businesses are focusing on making more environmentally friendly decisions in their activities. The aforementioned is helpful for the environment since it may lead to increased operational excellence, improved public image for a firm, and additional chances to make ecologically responsible business decisions. Anyone intending to own a business should consider how they might begin adopting more biologically friendly changes for a safe environment. Thus, by using Apple company as an example, this research paper discusses various strategies companies use to ensure a safe, clean, and sustainable environment.
Sustainable development refers to protecting natural resources and preserving comprehensive habitats to support health and wellbeing in the future. According to the United Nations’ 2021 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) assessment, without significant carbon reduction, the earth’s temperature would rise to 1.5°C beyond pre-industrial conditions over the next two decades (Van Der Hel, 2019). This is a potential and permanent harmful aspect that would destroy global natural habitats. Thus, more profound knowledge of how climate change may affect people worldwide is a vital first step in developing solutions for protecting populations and enhancing their resilience.
Moreover, IPCC developed a thorough worldwide estimate of the number of persons vulnerable to critical physical climate threats. This was done in collaboration with the Race to Resilience Organization during the United Nations Climate change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow (van der Hel, 2019). Thus, the organizations determined that whether temperature rise is restricted to 1.5°C or exceeds 2.0°C over atmospheric concentrations by 2050, the incidence of catastrophic hazards is projected to grow. This means that a considerable fraction of the world population risk being more vulnerable in the future than currently.
The IPCC is a United Nations institution tasked with associating and collaborating with organizations and businesses worldwide to achieve environmental sustainability. These human-centric statistics can assist leaders in determining the appropriate areas of emphasis and the magnitude of response required to assist people in building their resilience and adaptive capacity, particularly the most vulnerable groups. According to how much energy, foodstuff, and artificial supplies humans consume daily, protecting the environment is critical. Rapid population growth has enhanced development in agriculture and industry, resulting in increased carbon dioxide levels, excessive energy usage, and forest loss (Papadakis, 2021). Humans now demand more resources and energy than ever before. Nonetheless, the earth can only provide so many supplies before they are depleted. Therefore, firms must rise to the occasion and do their part. Businesses people wield more power than any other group of individuals. Engaging in sustainable and responsible activities such as trash reduction, renewable energy use, and equitable income distribution can help ensure a prosperous future.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, environmental conservation entails making autonomous decisions that ensure an equitable and higher quality of living for subsequent generations. Ecological conservation aims to maximize the importance of the existence of the human species whereas reducing the effect on the globe’s supportive environment. The above ultimately guide individuals in finding a happy medium between consumer-driven human culture and the living world (Crane, 2020). To achieve this, people should not haphazardly squander or diminishing natural resources.
Overview Analysis
Although the concept of sustainability may not appear to be an antagonist to environmental sustainability, it does conflict with the requirements of the other. Green economy suggests that there will still be an influence on the land, although a smaller one. The latest building initiatives aim to develop self-sufficient alternatives, including wind generators or solar panels. Nevertheless, some argue that today’s environmentally sensitive models are insufficient to fight the problem. Furthermore, these systems cannot compensate for the damage done in another world region. Sustainable development aims to decrease ecological biodiversity loss and promote an ecologically friendly environment (Arora & Panosyan, 2019). The maintainable expansion will constantly urge production, but environmental sustainability entails preservation. Endangered habitats are a delicate issue on which these two notions conflict.
Environmental sustainability seeks to include the region and mitigate the harm. This means that there will be economic advantages, which will lead to increased financing for other conservation zones. Thus, society can achieve environmental sustainability by committing more funding to preservation programs in the protected area and providing education on environmental problems (Rashed, 2018). Hence, the above implies that new regulations should govern nature’s influence and encourage the population to live an ecologically responsible lifestyle. Conservation programs may include populaces in procedures that help the local economy. As science progresses, people tend to overlook the ecosystem until it is at the bottom of the priority list. Nevertheless, there is no reason why companies should not integrate technology into an ecologically beneficial framework.
Apple Inc. as a Role Model In Environmental Sustainability
Apple Corporation designs, produce and sells cellphones, computers, ipads, wearable devices, and accessories worldwide. Apple Inc., located in Cupertino, California, came into formation in 1977 (Rashed, 2018). The organization offers a variety of interconnected products and services. The corporation provides iPhone, a smartphone brand, Mac, a home computer line, iPad, a multi-purpose notebook brand, and smartwatches, and accessories such as Apple TV, Home Pod, Apple Watch, Air Pods, Beats devices, the iPod touch, as well as other branded and third-party products. The corporation delivers Apple Care assistance, cloud business, storage, and store services. It also operates multiple platforms, such as an online store, allowing users to explore and transfer applications plus digital material such as publications, music, videogames, podcasts, and videos (Arora & Panosyan, 2019). Furthermore, the company offers numerous services, including a unique game subscription plan called Apple Arcade, music that gives consumers a tailored listening experience with broadcast channels, News, subscribed media coverage, and newspaper. Others are TV, one that offers unique quality material, a branded credit card, and a cashless disbursement service and licensing its copyrighted material.
Consumers, both medium and small entities, learning institutions, corporate businesses, and governmental trades are all attended to by Apple. Its online application Store offers and dispenses third-party software for all its gadgets. The organization also markets its items through its retail and online stores and via selling directly to consumers and through third-party wireless network transmitters, distributors, vendors, and salespeople (Rashed, 2018). The management capitalizes on its distinctive potential to provide its consumers with new and improved products with outstanding ease of use. It has also developed its version of windows, hardware, and other applications through technological advances.
Apple’s Initiatives and Outcomes
Apple announced a goal to turn into a carbon-neutral enterprise by 2030. The company will execute the plan throughout the organization, including operations and supply network, and production cycle. The firm is presently carbon-free in all its international business activities, and that extra guarantee indicates that each Apple product purchased by 2030 would have a zero-emission environmental impact (Abdukarimova et al., 2021). As businesses aim to reduce their effect on the climate, the company is publishing information on its carbon-neutral approach and a road map for other enterprises. The company’s sustainability Condition Report aims to cut pollution by 76% by 2030, whereas evolving new carbon elimination technologies to account for the residual 30% of overall output (Abdukarimova et al., 2021). To support these and other initiatives, the firm is creating an Effect Acceleration Plan, which will focus on investing in businesses owned by the minorities, thus, delivering positive effects in its distribution network and regions impacted by environmental hazards. This program is a business division that focuses on education, income justice, and law enforcement.
Climate Road Map for Apple
The ten years Apple’s plan to reduce emissions through several creative activities is shown below.
Development of Low-Carbon Products
Apple has committed itself to continuously applying reduced-carbon as well as reusable constituents in its goods. It also engages in reprocessing, reusing, and creating energy-efficient devices. Firstly, in terms of the firm’s latest recycling invention, a robot dubbed “Dave” helps break the Taptic Engine from the smartphone and recover essential elements such as rare magnetic metals and tungsten, even while allowing steel retrieval. This is the next stage of the “Daisy” iPhone removal and replacement robot technology (Rashed, 2018). Secondly, the corporation’s Laboratory for recovery of material in Texas, specializing in cutting-edge gadget recycling technologies, is currently working with the University of Carnegie Mellon to enhance technical solutions. Thirdly, all modern Apple Watch iPhone, iPad, Mac, and iPhone devices are recyclable materials and include 100 percent reusable uncommon earth elements. Fourthly, through improving product design and repurposing components, Apple lowered its carbon footprint by about 4.5 million metric tons in 2019 (Rashed, 2018). Over the previous 12 years, the corporation has decreased the energy value required for practical utilization.
Energy Efficiency and Expansion
Apple will seek innovative means to cut energy usage in all its operations and facilities and support its distribution links in making a similar move. As part of a new collaboration with the company, the United States and China environmental investors can commit over $100 million in accelerated ecological sustainability for the company’s partners. The actual number of businesses contributing to the firm’s Energy Saving Initiative climbed to 99 in 2020, saving about 888,000 metric tons of distribution network greenhouse emissions per year (RPA, 2021). Recently, the firm financed the improvements in energy effectiveness to nearly 6.5 million square feet of the newly constructed and existing buildings (RPA, 2021). Thus, the above efforts lowered power consumption by almost a quarter and saved Apple millions.
Recyclable Energy
Apple aims to continue using 100 percent renewable energy in all of its operational processes, introducing new initiatives and transitioning its flow of products to clean energy. Over 70 suppliers have now committed to using 100 % renewable energy for Apple manufacturing, amounting to nearly eight gigawatts to generate energy for the corporation’s production process (Abdukarimova et al., 2021). When concluded, these obligations will save over 15 million metric tons of carbon emissions annually, which is the closest approximation of eliminating close to four million vehicles from the road. Apple’s sustainable capacity for business operations now exceeds 1 gigawatt, enough to light more than 150,000 households per year, thanks to new and finished installations in Arizona, Oregon, and Illinois. Close to 90% of the sustainable power that the firm uses in its premises is currently generated by Apple-created initiatives, which benefit localities and other companies (Chen et al., 2021). Worldwide, Apple is establishing one of the world’s most giant solar farms in Scandinavia and two other ventures in the Philippines and Thailand to provide power to underserved regions.
Innovation in material and Processing
Apple will reduce pollution by improving the materials and processes utilized in its products. Through investment and collaboration with its aluminum suppliers, the firm has continuously supported the advancement of the world’s first simple process of smelting technology of carbon-free aluminum. The company recently revealed that the initial consignment of the low-emission aluminum is already in fabrication to be used with Mac Book Pro. Via cooperation with the company’s suppliers, Apple minimized fluorinated greenhouse emissions by almost 250,000 metric tons during 2019 (Chen et al., 2021). Fluorinated gases that could be used to manufacture many consumer microelectronic gadgets can contribute to climate change.
The Removal of Carbon
The Apple company is financing the planting of trees and other environmental alternatives to reduce carbon emissions worldwide. The corporation has created the first carbon management platform to fund global restoration and conservation of forest regions and natural ecosystems. In conjunction with other conservation organizations, the firm will focus on new ventures built on prior efforts, such as restoring devastated Kenya’s savannas and protecting the critical Colombian mangrove environment. These kinds of trees protect coastlines and contribute to the livelihoods of the populations where they usually grow, but they may absorb close to about ten times as much carbon as terrestrial forestry (RPA, 2021). Apple invests in trees and other environmental alternatives to reduce carbon emissions.
A partnership with various conservation funds worldwide has safeguarded and enhanced the preservation of almost one million acres of woods. This includes climate system resolutions in China, Kenya, the United States, and Colombia (RPA, 2021). Apple collaborates with governments, companies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and customers worldwide to promote legislation that strengthens environmental safeguards and the changeover to renewable energy. The corporation perceives this as a crucial contribution to worldwide decarbonization.
Conclusion
Environmental sustainability is not a stand-alone idea. instead, it needs the combination of the other aspects to produce a self-sufficient society. The method, known as the Three Pillars of Sustainability, combines ecological, economic, and social sustainability. For the system to tackle the issue of sustainability, all of the components must work and interconnect with one another. Social sustainability must be equal, while economic sustainability must be feasible. These two principles operate inside the environment and have a detrimental influence if they are not correctly implemented. The complaint leveled towards sustainable development is that it, too, conflicts with the social and economic aspects. The aims of highly industrial civilization will constantly clash with the aspirations of the environmental pillar.
References
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