New Report Finds Apple’s India Suppliers Lagging Behind on Renewable Energy Adoption Despite Production Surge

New Delhi, December 11, 2025: A new analysis by Climate Risk Horizons finds that Apple’s suppliers in India—now responsible for assembling one in every five iPhones globally—are making limited progress toward the company’s 2030 clean energy goals. The findings highlight a significant gap in renewable energy (RE) adoption among 13 India-based suppliers, despite Apple’s mandate that all suppliers transition to 100% clean electricity by 2030. 

Apple has committed to reducing its Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 75% from 2015 levels by the end of the decade. However, the report titled “Greening India’s Apple” shows that only two suppliers—FIH Mobile Ltd., a Foxconn subsidiary, and Flex Ltd.—reported using high-impact RE procurement such as power purchase agreements (PPAs) or self-generation. FIH operated with 35% RE in 2024, while Flex reported 27.5% usage in 2023 and 2022. 

The remaining 11 suppliers either did not use renewable energy in India, reported purchasing low-impact renewable energy certificates (RECs), or did not disclose any RE procurement for their India facilities. Tata Electronics, for example, reported carbon neutrality solely through the purchase of international RECs. 

Highlighting concerns about supplier readiness, Simran Kalra, lead author of the report, said,
“Only 2 out of 13 Apple suppliers with manufacturing units in India have reported the use of RE in their sustainability reports. This is a far cry from Apple's goal of 100% RE use in its supply-chain by 2030. Suppliers are also lagging in energy data monitoring and verification. Addressing these gaps is essential to make Apple’s Scope 3 emissions reporting accurate and credible.” 

The report also notes that 10 of the 13 suppliers operate in states with strong renewable energy potential—including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra—yet have not fully leveraged open-access renewable options. This gap, the analysis suggests, could hinder Apple’s global decarbonisation progress.

Apple’s global reports show a decline in market-based emissions attributed in part to supplier clean energy adoption. However, the study points out that more than half of suppliers’ RE procurement in 2023 and 2024 relied on unbundled RECs—considered low-impact because they do not directly reduce fossil fuel-based electricity generation. 

The report recommends that Apple require its India suppliers to pursue high-impact RE procurement such as long-term PPAs and on-site generation, alongside stricter independent verification of energy data. It also highlights opportunities for Apple to directly invest in renewable energy infrastructure in India, as it has done in other countries.

Commenting on the findings, Ashish Fernandes of Climate Risk Horizons, said,
“Apple’s choice of India as a manufacturing hub is an excellent move, but the lacklustre performance of its suppliers on the RE front is worrying. Apple needs to ensure its Indian suppliers are on track to meet the 2030 100% RE goal. This is eminently feasible given India’s vibrant RE ecosystem, but it does need Apple, their suppliers and local discoms to address the issue proactively.” 

Disclaimer: The above information has been provided by Climate Risk Horizons.