- Google recently announced that it has committed $150 million to renewable energy. These are the details.
Google recently announced several hardware devices and the company always thinks about how it can build them in a way that leaves people, the planet, and communities better than they found them. Google has committed to making 100% of its shipments going to or from customers carbon neutral by 2020. And starting in 2022, Google is planning to have 100% of Made by Google products include recycled materials with a drive to maximized recycled content wherever possible. And now Google’s head of sustainability of the Google Hardware division Anna Meegan recently announced that the company is investing about $150 million into renewable energy projects in key manufacturing regions.
Meegan also pointed out that 100% of Nest products launching in 2019 are built with recycled plastics. ANd now shipping those products is now 100% neutral, but the goal is to set up a world where everyone has access to renewable energy, including suppliers and communities.
“Our investment commitment, alongside partners, aims to catalyze roughly $1.5 billion of capital into renewable energy. With these investments, we expect to help generate renewable energy that is equivalent to the amount of electricity used to manufacture our Google consumer hardware products. So when you buy these products, you know you’re contributing to bringing new renewable energy to manufacturing communities,” said Meegan.
Google has been advancing access to clean energy as a cornerstone of its sustainability efforts. For example, Google made the largest corporate purchase of renewable energy in history in September. And that purchase included 1,600-megawatt (MW) of wind and solar and 18 new energy deals. These deals will increase Google’s worldwide portfolio of renewable agreements by more than 40%, reaching 5,500 MW — which is equivalent to the capacity of a million solar rooftops.
