On Thursday, Apple and Acumen joined hands in an effort to support social enterprises in the country in order to uplift livelihoods through clean energy innovation. Acumen is a global nonprofit organisation that is driving its efforts to change the way poverty is dealt with by investing in sustainable businesses, leaders, and ideas.
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Experts from Acumen will direct a 12-week programme called the Energy for Livelihoods Accelerator to assist social entrepreneurs in scaling and improving their enterprises in order to improve the lives of those living in poverty while simultaneously safeguarding the environment.
Apple is calling for applications from such enterprises that have a clear social or environmental mission and are working towards sustainable energy innovations. The programme is set to begin in September, and interested enterprises can submit their applications by July 24.
Sarah Chandler, Apple’s vice president of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, said, “Apple is committed to helping ensure everyone can share in the benefits of a greener economy.” Chandler further expressed, “We’re demonstrating the transformative potential of clean energy in everything we do, and excited to support social innovators who share that goal.”
In another statement from Mahesh Yagnaraman, Acumen’s director of India, he said, “For over 20 years, Acumen has invested in early-stage social enterprises addressing problems of poverty in India, and some of our most innovative recent investments have been at the intersection of energy access and livelihoods.” Yagnaraman expressed their excitement for partnering with Apple in order to build an ecosystem of scalable social businesses in the country that are committed to uplifting livelihoods through sustainable energy.
To answer the question of what is in it for the participants of the programme, Apple asserted that the participants will be able to access a supportive network of peers, facilitators, and mentors. Further, these participants will be embraced into the Acumen Academy’s global community and The Foundry. They will also be eligible to gain technical assistance along with early-stage investment from Acumen’s Pioneer Energy Investment Initiative (PEII+).
What’s more, Apple expressed in its statement that it is not only partnering with Acumen but also Frank Water in order to strengthen its efforts further in making safe drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene accessible. The tech giant is further partnering with the Applied Environmental Research Foundation (AERF) to expand its efforts in preserving mangroves present along the western coast of the country.
Apple has set a lofty target for itself: by 2030, every product will be carbon neutral. More than 250 global manufacturing partners, including 12 based in India, have already pledged to using only renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030 as a means of assisting the company with their vision. Additionally, zero waste at every final assembly facility has been achieved in India. Also this year, Apple announced new 2025 targets to use recycled cobalt in all batteries it designs, recycled rare earth elements in all magnets, recycled gold plating, and recycled tin solder in all printed circuit boards it designs. Apple also expanded its innovative Restore Fund for high-quality, natural-based carbon removal.
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