Apple's Growth Streak Has Ended but its Sustainability Leadership is Still Going Strong

Apple's growth streak may have come to an end but as a mature company its sustainability leadership is going stronger than ever. In fact Apple is poised to double down on sustainability. Every product has a life cycle and Apple's products are no different. Smartphones may have reached market saturation as the global smartphone market has shrunk for the first time. Despite the dropping demand for its premiere product line, this corporate giant will continue to be a powerful sustainability leader for years to come.

As revealed by Apple's second-quarter earnings, the company's stellar 13 year growth streak has ended. However Apple continues to be the dominant player in the technology sector.

In recent years Apple has transitioned from a sustainability laggard into a sustainability leader. Their initiatives include renewable energy, recycling, sustainable forest management, sourcing and manufacturing. Apple has been serious about sustainability for more than a few years. In 2013 Apple was already getting all of the power for its data centers from renewable energy.

As reported by UNEP's Climate Action, in February Apple issued $1.5 billion in green bonds to finance low-carbon projects across its global operations. This includes renewable energy, storage, efficiency, green buildings and resource conservation. This is the largest issuance of its kind by an American company.

Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives said Apple’s new green bond “will allow investors to show they will put their money where their hearts and concerns are."

Apple has also embarked on what it has called "Project Titan" which is an electric car project with a shipping date of 2019.

Apple is also among the companies that supported the US Clean Power Plan and they responded to a White House initiative to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and increase their supply of renewable energy.

Apple's green efforts have contributed to their bottom line valuation and there is no reason to believe that this will not continue.

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