Companies spend countless years chasing the clean energy dream. In today’s world, corporations are under more pressure than ever to ensure their manufacturing methods are both sustainable and environmentally friendly. In the most recent news, Apple announced their facilities are 100% powered by renewable resources – a feat the company spent decades to achieve.

This new claim entails all Apple stores, offices, and data centers spanning across 43 countries. To be clear though, this milestone does not mean that all apple facilities are directly connected to renewable resources. Instead, it means that the company is putting renewables back into the grid, offsetting their energy consumption from facilities that aren’t powered by renewables.

This method not only benefits the company from a renewable standpoint, but it also helps with the overall goal of reducing our carbon footprint.

Apple claims to have 25 renewable energy projects currently in operation with 15 more projects soon to be implemented. With all of the projects combined, Apple will be producing 1.4 Gigawatts of clean energy – the equivalent output of a little over 4.6 million solar panels.

In order to achieve a renewable energy output of this magnitude, Apple has implemented your basic solar panel fields and wind farms. Unlike other companies striving for clean energy, Apple has also implemented newer sustainable solutions like bio-fuel cells and micro-hydro systems – a type of hydroelectric power.

“We’re going to keep pushing the boundaries of what is possible with the materials in our products, the way we recycle them, our facilities and our work with suppliers to establish new creative and forward-looking sources of renewable energy because we know the future depends on it,” stated Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Considered a major step in the right direction, this new ‘green’ initiative being adopted by companies across the globe who, like Apple, will help lead way for a more sustainable future.