Apple To Help Preserve China Forest Acres

Apple Inc. APPL said Monday it aims to help protect up to 1 million acres of working forests in China which provide fiber for pulp, paper and wood products.

The company said it will work on the project in a partnership with The World Wildlife Fund and hopes to achieve a net-zero impact on sustainable virgin fiber and power all its operations worldwide on 100 percent renewable energy.

Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook said Monday that China is in the midst of a "green transformation" although it will "take years" for Apple to reach its environmental goals.

Natural forests cover about 10 percent of China's 36.78 billion acres, but much of it has been destroyed by human activities including logging, wood collection and mining, according to the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.

In China's southern provinces, the mountainous forests that previously covered much of the region have been reduced by about 92 percent, according to Pulitzer.

Three years ago Apple, along with a raft of other major U.S. companies, resigned its membership in the American Legislative Council, which has sought weaker labor and environmental regulations, along with promoting gun rights and other measures.