Apple has announced a multi-year partnership with World Wildlife Fund to create and protect sustainable forests in China.
Acknowledging the impact that its product packaging would have on the environment, Apple hopes the new initiative will protect "as much as 1 million acres of responsibly managed working forests which provide fiber for pulp, paper and wood products," the company said in a statement on Monday (May 11, 2015).
In responsibly managed forests, usually at least one tree is planted for every tree cut down.
Lisa Jackson, Apple's Vice President of Environmental Initiatives, said in the statement, "Forests, like energy, can be renewable resource. We believe we can run on naturally renewable resources." Apple aims to achieve zero impact on the global supply of sustainable wood fiber.
The Apple-WWF collaboration will also benefit China, the world's largest timber importer, according to Lo Sze Ping, WWF China's Chief Executive Officer.
"This collaboration between our two organizations will seek to reduce China's ecological footprint by helping produce more wood from responsibly managed forests within its own borders," Lo was quoted by Apple's statement as saying.
Last month, Apple announced its first major solar project in China. The facility, being under construction in southwest China's Sichuan Province, is expected to be capable of generating 80 million kilowatt hours a year of clean energy, roughly the power needed by 61,000 Chinese families.
Apple has said that its goal is to run its worldwide operations 100 percent on renewable energy. Now it has achieved 87 percent.
