the recent climate report from the United Nations and the
summer of extreme weather puts new emphasis on efforts from
corporations to combat climate change in that spirit, Apple
today unveiled its first class of 15 black and brown
owned businesses who will join the company's impact accelerator program
to support equity and opportunity in the environmental sector.
So joining us now is Alicia johnson program lead for
Apple racial, the Apple racial and equity uh,
justice initiative. Alicia, thank you so much for
being here. Really glad to have you, can
you talk to us about the genesis of of this
program and where the idea started from? Absolutely.
And thanks for having me. We, as you
know, launched our$100 million Plus racial Equity and
justice initiative last year focused on improving outcomes for people
of color and education, the criminal justice system and
in the economy. As we were looking at this
goal, we also knew we had some really ambitious
environmental goals and that too often communities of color are
disproportionately impacted by environmental risks. So the impact accelerator
is our opportunity to ensure that these communities are centered
in the solutions that are going to help us to
meet those environmental goals. So we're really excited to
welcome this new cohort. They are representing a number
of ambitious environmental efforts that are reflective of Apple's environmental
priorities, but also of those in our broader industry
. So what exactly does it mean for Apple and
now, you know, and these companies to now
be working together and what exactly will it be in
terms of the work they do? Well. Apple
has a long history of helping businesses to scale.
We do this in our extensive supply chain. So
we're working directly with these businesses to help them to
meet their environmental goals, matching them with our subject
matter experts and mentors across the company. We're providing
them with coursework, teaching them how to potentially become
an apple supplier, but also to scale and grow
their businesses and help them to meet some pretty specific
objectives. What are some of the factors that apple
um is putting into place in terms of consideration for
the business is selected in this program? Well,
we wanted to, first and foremost ensure that the
business leaders that are too often underrepresented environmental technologies were
part of this accelerator. And so we looked across
diversity in terms of black led businesses, Hispanic and
latin X led businesses, indigenous led businesses but also
businesses led by women of color. We also wanted
to find businesses that were aligned with Apple's environmental priorities
. We work to ensure that we're addressing climate change
and our efforts through renewable energy use and energy efficiency
to conserve resources and also to use smarter chemistry and
our products to protect the people who make and use
them. And so we have businesses that are working
across all of those spaces that are reflected as a
part of this group. Now we see that these
businesses are located in a wide array um of places
around the country. How important was it to have
geographic diversity, you know, in the program and
why was that important? We were really excited to
see such an overwhelming response in terms of applicants and
we had a great selection to choose from that are
coming from different regions around the world across the United
States. And so we have blocked power for example
, that's based in Brooklyn. We have the Oh
Shetty Power Authority that's developing clean energy solutions on tribal
lands on Sioux tribal lands. And so it's great
that we have people who are reflecting communities and unique
environmental challenges in the regions that they come from.
Where do you envision the impact of this accelerator program
really going from here? So it's still early stages
were just welcoming our first cohort. This is a
pilot program but we see a lot of potential to
learn from the successes of this program and from the
successes of these business leaders as we start to look
at the future and what future cohorts might look like
. I wonder if you can just break down,
you know, why was it so important to kind
of build this program around the emphasis of climate change
and that initiative, Climate Change is one of the
most urgent global challenges that we face. And we
know that there are so many companies that are developing
emerging technologies to help us to meet that challenge.
It's a challenge that requires everybody to come to the
table. And so I think you can't have too
many cooks in this kitchen. You can't have too
many people bringing solutions and ideas. And because it's
a top priority for Apple, because it's a top
priority for so many leaders, we knew that this
was a space that we needed to engage immediately and
ensure that we're really bringing others to the table as
we start to develop solutions. That element of inclusivity
in the space that of course is a top of
mind for so many companies is just really special and
unique here. Thank you so much for your insight
, of course, what the company is doing,
Alicia johnson program lead for the Apple Racial Equity and
Justice Initiative.