Apple Inc. (AAPL) lauded by Greenpeace for environmental initiatives

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) today earned guarded praise from Greenpeace, which previously excoriated the Cupertino electronics firm for not living up to its lofty green ideals. The influential environmental organization rates companies on a letter-grade basis borrowed from American schools and universities, including As, Bs, Cs, Ds, and Fs. Far from earning nothing but “gentlemanly Cs” in the latest review, Apple got three A grades and one B grade in Greenpeace’s latest report, “Clicking Clean: How Companies are Building the Green Internet.”

Greenpeace placed Apple Inc. (AAPL) into its “Green Internet Innovators” category, alongside its rival Google, and Facebook. Like Apple, Facebook received three A grades and one B grade, while Google lagged somewhat with a single A grade and three B grades. Greenpeace goes so far as to say “Apple’s commitment to renewable energy has helped set a new bar for the industry,” and goes on to note that Steve Jobs’ brainchild has demonstrated a number of models that will be useful in building an overall sustainable Internet.

Apple is awarded A grades in “Energy Transparency” (the amount of detailed information provided to the public about energy sources), “Renewable Energy Commitment” (how much data centers are actually powered by green energy), and “Renewable Energy Use & Advocacy” (how much the firm invests in green energy sources and urges others to follow suit). Apple’s single B grade is in “Energy Efficiency & Mitigation Strategy” category. In the same grading system, Amazon and Twitter are out and out failures, with one D grade and three F grades apiece.

The news is perhaps not surprising on certain levels, since last year ago Apple’s data centers were 100% renewable and its corporate offices ran off 75% green energy. Tim Cook’s notable argument with representatives of a conservative thinktank at the annual shareholders’ meeting was another strong sign of the Cupertino’s firm – and actual – commitment to sustainability. However, Greenpeace’s recognition is a seal of approval likely to reassure many environmentally minded customers that they are making a good choice in the ethical sphere also when they purchase an Apple item or make use of iTunes.

The score is particularly impressive given the vast power demands of Apple Inc. (AAPL) data centers. The firm operates on a colossal scale, and its ability to switch over to green energy sources demonstrates that huge, far-flung enterprises can indeed be run intensively while deeply slashing the company’s carbon footprint. The contrast with Greenpeace’s grades from just two years ago in 2012, when Apple was awarded the environmental equivalent of a dunce cap with three D grades and one F grade, is also striking and illuminating.