Apple’s 2021 Environmental Progress Report takes on a huge communications challenge

Apple released its 2021 Environmental Progress Report, and it’s a whopper: the PDF version is 105 pages.

From a comms perspective, here are three things we can learn:

Graphics distill key highlights

Most people won’t deep-dive into a 105-page environmental report. But Apple uses graphics and tight copy on its website to highlight key goals and achievements—and to explain the “why” behind certain decisions, such as removing chargers from iPhone boxes.

The highlights are easy to browse, click, and consume to understand the core ideas and actions behind Apple’s environmental policy.

There’s a ton of information, but it’s well-organized

The full 105-page report is is neatly divided into the three key areas of Apple’s strategy: climate change, resources, and smarter chemistry. The core sections are sandwiched between an intro section and an appendix.

The flow is clear and logical. And a simple navigational header on the top of each page of the report reminds the reader where she is, and what sections lie ahead.

Clear and measurable goals with timelines

Apple isn’t just virtue-signaling. The company has clear and ambitious goals with timelines:

We’ve set a goal to become carbon neutral across our entire footprint by 2030.

We will get there by reducing our emissions by 75 percent compared to 2015, and then investing in carbon removal solutions for the remaining emissions.

Communicating everything Apple measures, plans, and executes across retail operations, corporate operations, products, suppliers, and manufacturers seems almost as challenging as Apple’s environmental goals themselves.

But Apple uses good structure, clear writing, and graphical highlights to paint the picture of company leading and making progress on reducing its impact on the planet. Apple’s report is great example of how to package and communicate extremely complex and dense information.