A coalition of large U.S. companies announced the launch of the Clean Energy Procurement Academy, a new initiative aimed at addressing supply chain emissions by equipping companies with skills and knowledge required to explore and adopt clean energy.

The project was initiated by Apple and Nike through the non-profit Clean Energy Buyers Institute (CEBI), and joined by companies including Amazon, Meta, PepsiCo, and REI Co-op as founding organizations.

Apple’s Vice President of Environment and Supply Chain Innovation Sarah Chandler said that the launch extends the company’s initiatives to foster renewable energy adoption in its own supply chain to others more broadly. Apple established a Supplier Clean Energy Program in 2015, offering suppliers resources including information about renewable energy procurement options, training materials, country-specific information, data insights, and engagement opportunities with renewable energy experts as well as policy advocacy. The company recently revealed that more than 250 suppliers across 28 countries, representing over 85% of the company’s direct manufacturing spend, have now committed to using renewable energy for all Apple production by 2030, and Apple unveiled its first carbon neutral product, its Apple Watch lineup, in September 2023.

Chandler said:

“To address the climate crisis, we need to act quickly to expand access to clean energy around the world. Businesses can help drive that change. As we make progress to ensure every Apple product is carbon neutral by 2030, we will continue to work closely with our global suppliers to support their transition to renewable energy. We’re proud to collaborate with CEBA and others to expand those efforts beyond our supply chain and across industries.”

According to CEBI, the new initiative was designed to accelerate the integration of clean energy into supply chains, with the founding organizations pooling their expertise and internal training resources to develop a shared curriculum and delivery process enabling trainees to rapidly mature as clean energy customers.

Noel Kinder, Chief Sustainability Officer at Nike, said:

“We continue to leverage our scale to drive impact and support suppliers in mitigating their climate risk. The Clean Energy Procurement Academy is key to breaking down barriers to clean energy adoption, while also helping us demonstrate demand and advocate for clean energy solutions in essential regions. Collaborating cross-industry helps us tackle systemic challenges together.” 

The Academy offers a blend of in person and online training, along with other resources, aimed at boosting supply chain companies’ capacity to invest in renewable energy, create synergies among industries addressing supply chain climate action challenges, encourage companies to escalate their renewable energy goals and commitments, and establish renewable energy buying communities in pivotal manufacturing regions.

Kara Hurst, Vice President of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon, said:

“We know that actions to address climate change will be more impactful when we join together with others and all share what we’ve learned. We are excited to collaborate with the Clean Energy Procurement Academy to empower Amazon suppliers and other businesses to decarbonize their energy operations alongside us.”