Supply Chain clean-up for Apple
At a conference on Monday morning, Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, announced that Apple will be partnering with its manufacturers as well as some suppliers to reduce carbon emissions. The ultimate goal is to achieve 100% usage of renewable energy across all areas of their supply chain by 2020. It has already been stated that Apple is on track to achieve its target of using 1.5 billion kilowatt-hours of clean energy per year by 2018.
At the moment, Apple already powers its data centers, offices and retail stores with renewable sources, however it is 3rd party suppliers which are letting them down. Suppliers, which manufacture the iPhone’s glass covers for example, still use fossil fuels as their main source of power in their factories. Through the partnerships, involving 14 of its suppliers, Apple wishes to decrease their total carbon emissions throughout the supply chain. Hoping to help in the fight against climate change, the investment in wind and solar energy will be the first step forward to achieving this. Apple have also announced they are now a part of the RE100 campaign, joining other members such as Microsoft and Google. The aim of the campaign is for major companies to finally stop the use of fossil fuels in their operations. This shows the commitment and seriousness of Apple’s pledge.
Read more on the commitment here.
A $1.5 billion purchase for Blackstone
As one of the world’s leading investment firms and private real-estate owner, Blackstone has this week made a deal to purchase a staggering $1.5 billion worth of logistics centers, including warehouses and distribution facilities. The deal involves a Californian based investment company with most properties located in the western United States. With a reported 12 million-square-foot portfolio being obtained, this will be their biggest purchase of U.S. distribution centers so far. Blackwell withdrew from the industry in 2015 after selling their previous logistics business for $8.1 billion.
Blackstone was one of the first companies to move into the growing logistics market. When constructing their previous logistics business, IndCor, they built their portfolio through 18 acquisitions. The topic of logistics in the supply chain industry has significantly grown in importance for businesses, in regards to the rising competition from online retailer Amazon and their expansion of distribution centers. As the firm is experienced in this area from previous dealings, it leads us to question: what do they have planned for their most recent purchase?
Check out more details here.
Row your boat, down the canal of Amsterdam
The ‘Roboat’ is the new pilot program introduced by The Amsterdam Institute for Metropolitan Solutions (AMS). The autonomous boats will be tested in Amsterdam’s canals for ferrying passengers around the city and moving goods. The ‘Roboat’ is yet to become a physical entity, however concept photos have been released and production processes have begun. The idea utilizes the canals and could ease transport throughout the city, and in the future expand to further cities, if the trial is successful. Water transport has become a topic of discussion after rising concerns of climate change and sea levels.
AMS will complete a 5 year trial, which hopes to have a prototype ready to be tested in 2017. The University has $27 million to use on the development and expansion of the project. The research will be conducted by academics from MIT and two Dutch universities. Due to the boats’ specific design and flexible capabilities, they hope the project will benefit Amsterdam in many different ways and create a new platform for transportation.
Find out more on the project here.
Have a nice weekend!
