Technologies

Apple says 175 manufacturing partners commit to renewable energy

Ahead of the UN’s COP26 climate summit, Apple also announces new renewable energy projects in South Africa, the Philippines, Colombia and Israel.

Apple is working with 175 of its suppliers to transition to renewable energy, the company said Wednesday, marking the latest in its efforts to have a net-zero climate impact for every Apple device sold by 2030.

The goal is to avoid over 18 million metric tons of carbon emissions each year, which Apple said is the equivalent of taking nearly 4 million cars off the road. Apple said its suppliers are achieving these changes in part by bringing online more than 9 gigawatts of clean power around the world, or the equivalent of 18 coal-fired power plants providing energy to more than 6.7 million homes.

«Every company should be a part of the fight against climate change, and together with our suppliers and local communities, we’re demonstrating all of the opportunity and equity green innovation can bring,» Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a statement just before the UN’s climate change conference COP26 kicks off in Glasgow, Scotland. «We’re acting with urgency, and we’re acting together. But time is not a renewable resource, and we must act quickly to invest in a greener and more equitable future.»

Apple’s long sought to be a leader on environmental issues in the tech industry. Aside from its carbon pledge, the company’s published environmental report cards for its products for over a decade. It’s also installed solar panels on its facilities and planted additional trees on its campuses.

And two years ago, it announced an effort to share technology it’s created for its Daisy robot, which methodically deconstructs more than a dozen iPhone models to recycle materials inside. Those recycling efforts and others helped to reduce the carbon footprint of the iPhone 13 Pro by 11%. Apple tallied an 8% reduction for its new 16-inch MacBook Pro as well.

Still, Apple’s faced criticism for its strict rules around product repairs. It generally doesn’t allow consumers to buy replacement parts for their machines and doesn’t publish detailed schematics or diagnostic tools, largely reserving them for authorized technicians. The company’s also fought efforts to create «right to repair» laws that would require companies to make tools and service parts available to device owners and independent repair shops.

Beyond Apple’s internal environmental efforts, the company said that some of its suppliers, like STMicroelectronics in Europe, have adopted renewable energy programs beyond the work they do for the iPhone maker.

Apple said it’s also working with renewable projects outside the tech industry, including solar power development in the US with the Oceti Sakowin Power Authority, formed by six Sioux tribes to develop tribal renewable energy resources.

«The new projects we’re sharing will help communities by developing new local renewable projects,» Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives, said in a statement.

Technologies

Why Amazon Is Giving Surprise Refunds for Years-Old Purchases (And If You’ll Get One)

Recent internal reviews at Amazon unleashed a wave of new refunds: Some are getting more than $1,000 back from purchases made up to 7 years ago.

Amazon buyers are reporting an influx of unexpected refunds from products they ordered months or even years ago, with one customer on LinkedIn saying he received a refund of $1,800 for a smart TV bought seven years ago. Others made similar comments about products bought long ago.

According to Bloomberg, the new refunds are because of changes Amazon made after an internal review. That review may be related to a 2023 consumer lawsuit by a group of Amazon shoppers who claimed that Amazon had reversed their legitimate return-related refunds.

A representative for Amazon told CNET that only a small number of customers would be affected.

«Following a recent internal review, we identified a very small subset of returns where we issued a refund without the payment completing, or where we could not verify that the correct item had been sent back to us so no refund was issued,» an Amazon representative said. «There is no action required from customers to receive the refunds, and we have fixed the payment issue.»

In its latest earnings call, Amazon reported a one-time expense of $1 billion connected to refunds that the company had not yet sent out. These earmarked funds could be responsible for the sudden updates that shoppers are now seeing regarding purchases as far back as 2018.

Read more: I’ve Been Tracking Tariff Price Impacts Every Day and Here’s What I’ve Found So Far

If you receive an email about a surprise refund from Amazon orders, it may be related to these changes Amazon has made behind the scenes. You may still want to confirm it’s not fraud by logging into your Amazon account or making a quick service call, especially if it’s a larger amount like a payment for a TV. Scammers may be taking advantage of this news, too, so be wary of any notification that asks you for financial information, which Amazon should already have.

Technologies

Expect Record Traffic for Memorial Day Weekend: 6 Money and Time Savers

Technologies

Memorial Day Sale: Google’s Pixel 9 Series Has Up to $300 Off Right Now

Get the standard Pixel 9 or the more premium Pixel 9 Fold for less with these incredible Memorial Day deals.

Android users who want to upgrade to a shiny new phone are always going to be pleased if they check out the Google Pixel 9 lineup. Right now is a great time to pick one up too, because the Memorial Day deals are in full swing, and they can save you some serious cash.

In fact, right now you can get your hands on this line of phones with up to $300 off right now on Amazon, meaning you can get one for as little as $599. You can save even more money if you’ve got a phone to trade in and go with Best Buy too.

There is so much to love about the Pixel 9 series, including its sleek design, the impressive camera setup and even AI features such as the ability to search for content in screenshots, create images from scratch using Pixel Studio app and more.

Pricing varies depending on which model you choose, along with the exact configurations, but there are plenty of options for nearly everyone right now. As a rule, the base Pixel 9 lists for $799 — but right now you can save $200 and score yours for just $599. It’s also our pick for the best phone for Android purists.

Hey, did you know? CNET Deals texts are free, easy and save you money.

However, the Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL also made the list as the top Google phones you can get. They retail for $999 and $1,099, respectively. However, you can get your hands on the 6.3-inch model for as low as $799 or the 6.8-inch model for as little as $899. Of course, if you’re looking for a foldable phone, you’ll enjoy the Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It typically starts at $1,799, but it’s down to as low as $1,499 right now — a whopping $300 discount.

SMARTPHONE DEALS OF THE WEEK

Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge 256GB Unlocked Phone With $50 Amazon Gift Card (Black):

$1,100 (save $50)
Google Pixel 9 Pro 128GB Unlocked Phone (Obsidian):

$799 (save $200)
Samsung Galaxy A16 5G 128GB Unlocked Phone (Blue Black, 2025 Release):

$176 (save $24)
Moto G Stylus 5G 256GB Unlocked Phone(2024 Model, Caramel Latte):

$300 (save $100)
Apple iPhone 14 128GB Unlocked Phone (Refurbished, Midnight):

$357 (save $273)

Deals are selected by the CNET Group commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.

Why this deal matters

Right now you can save up to $300 off select Pixel 9 series phones at Amazon. The Google Pixel 9 series is chock-full of great options with a lot of features we loved, but that usually carries a large price tag. Saving up to $300 goes a long way, and as these prices are at record lows, we don’t expect the cost to drop any lower any time soon. Getting any of these phones at a discount is a great find, but these prices likely won’t stick around for long, so act fast if you’re interested.