Google recently released its 2024 Environmental Report, which showed a 13% increase in its environmental footprint over the previous year.
This rise is mainly due to higher energy demands from data centers and increased consumption by supply chain partners. Despite using 64% carbon-free energy, Google’s greenhouse gas emissions have not met its 2019 goal of a 50% reduction.
The company aims for all product packaging to be plastic-free by 2025, with progress at 99%
.However, Google faces setbacks in water conservation and recycled materials usage. While it tripled freshwater replenishment to 1 billion gallons, it only offsets 18% of its total water consumption.
Furthermore, the percentage of recycled materials in products decreased from 41% to 34% as fewer plastics were used overall. Google emphasizes the potential for AI to reduce environmental impact, citing projects such as improving traffic management and optimizing fuel efficiency in Google Maps.
Google continues to set ambitious goals, striving to achieve comprehensive sustainability across its operations.
