Apple has topped Greenpeace’s Click Clean list of the most environmentally friendly tech companies for the third year in a row. The report praises the company’s on-going leadership in matching its growth with an equal or larger supply of renewable energy. Apple led all other companies in its sector, with “A” ratings in energy transparency, efficiency and policy. Despite Greenpeace touting Apple “using [its] influence to push vendors, utilities, and governments to create access to renewable energy where previously there was none,” the company fell to a “B” rating this year in the advocacy department. Still, its total score of 83 percent was still enough to place Apple well-ahead of its nearest competitor, Facebook, at 67 percent. The report raised some concerns over Apple’s concentration of data center power demands in one location, worried that the high power need in such a small space might not align with the company’s renewable power goals. While the expansion of green tariff products — offered by utility companies to large customers looking to obtain certified renewable energy — is allowing Apple to supplement, the report raises concerns that the move doesn’t lead to new renewable energy development, instead relying on existing infrastructure.
