Apple phases out lead sustainability role as Lisa Jackson retires

Apple will no longer have a dedicated sustainability leader on its C-suite once its current Vice President for Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson retires in January 2026.

Jackson’s environmental and social responsibilities will be transferred to Apple Chief Operating Officer Sabih Khan, while her policy work will be passed on temporarily to General Counsel Kate Adams until her own retirement in late 2026. Policy will then be overseen by Apple’s new Vice President, General Counsel and Government Affairs Jennifer Newstead.

This means that the tech mammoth will no longer have a C-suite leader purely dedicated to sustainability and reporting directly to the CEO. 

Lisa Jackson’s sustainability legacy at Apple

Jackson has been leading Apple’s sustainability initiatives since 2013, after serving as Administrator of the US Environmental Protection Agency for four years under President Barack Obama. 

According to the company’s 2024 sustainability report, Apple’s carbon footprint went from 38.4 million tonnes of emissions in 2015 to 15.3 million tonnes in 2024. In the last year alone, emissions decreased by around 5.45%. This is not counting Apple’s carbon offset purchases. 

In a statement announcing Jackson’s retirement, Apple CEO Tim Cook said: “I am deeply appreciative of Lisa’s contributions. She has been instrumental in helping us reduce our global greenhouse emissions by more than 60% compared to 2015 levels.

“She has also been a critical strategic partner in engaging governments around the world, advocating for the best interests of our users on a myriad of topics, as well as advancing our values, from education and accessibility to privacy and security.”

Jackson also famously appeared in a 2023 campaign about Apple’s environmental initiatives, alongside actor Octavia Spencer.

“Apple is a remarkable company and it has been a true honor to lead such important work here,” she said in her retirement announcement. “I have been lucky to work with leaders who understand that reducing our environmental impact is not just good for the environment, but good for business, and that we can do well by doing good. And I am incredibly grateful to the teams I’ve had the privilege to lead at Apple, for the innovations they’ve helped create and inspire, and for the advocacy they’ve led on behalf of our users with governments around the world. I have every confidence that Apple will continue to have a profoundly positive impact on the planet and its people.”

Apple’s operational emissions on the rise

While Apple’s Scope 3 emissions have dropped substantially, Apple’s corporate emissions – including Scope 1 and 2 and Scope 3 business travel and employee commute – are on the rise. This footprint went up more than 40% between 2023 and 2024, and no less than 300% since 2021.

According to the sustainability report, this increase is primarily due to Scope 3 ‘other fuel and energy-related activities’, which jumped from just 10,600 tonnes in 2023 to 166,400 tonnes the year after. This category of Scope 3 emissions covers upstream emissions from the production and transportation of purchased fuels and electricity, and Apple notes that life cycle emissions associated with renewable electricity are also included.