What Google's Environment Report Says About Supply Chain
Google’s 2025 Environmental Report lays bare the complications in making its global supply chain more sustainable.
While public focus often lands on electric vehicles or visible solar arrays, the tech giant turns attention to what it calls “one of the trickiest parts of the puzzle”—the supply chain behind everyday tech like phones, thermostats and smart speakers.
The report states: “There’s a part of the climate story that doesn’t get as much attention: the supply chain behind your phone, thermostat, or smart speaker, and the data centre hardware they rely on. And it’s one of the trickiest parts of the puzzle; the further you zoom out—from the device in your hand to the global network that made it—the more complex the system becomes.”
Asia Pacific hurdles and the energy question
Much of Google’s hardware supply chain is rooted in Asia Pacific, where countries like India and Vietnam serve as hubs for component production. That concentration also brings complications.
The region’s electricity grids rely heavily on fossil fuels, making clean energy integration a slow and fragmented process.
As Google puts it: “Expanding clean energy access across much of Asia Pacific faces significant hurdles, including policy barriers, grid infrastructure that struggles to integrate clean energy and gaps in financing mechanisms—although notable developments are accelerating access in specific markets like India and Vietnam.”
In Taiwan, a critical region for manufacturing, Google partnered with BlackRock’s Climate Infrastructure business in 2024 to enable 1 gigawatt (GW) of solar power. This helps not only Google’s own operations but also provides access for suppliers navigating tight local energy conditions.
Meanwhile, in an effort to move things forward across its broader network, the company introduced a Clean Energy Addendum in 2023. This is an agreement asking suppliers to commit to matching 100% of their electricity with clean sources by 2029. Uptake by suppliers is underway, but Google stresses this will take time and practical backing.
Inside Google's supply chain strategy
Google doesn't pretend supply chain reform is quick or simple.
As the report explains: “Changing how energy is sourced isn’t as simple as walking into a supplier’s factory and flipping a clean energy switch. These are independent businesses, navigating their own regulatory environments, infrastructure limitations and financial constraints.”
Instead, Google positions itself as a partner, offering hands-on assistance and tools. This includes a free Energy Assessment platform which helps suppliers pinpoint opportunities to reduce energy use. Still, energy efficiency only goes so far. The broader aim is a full transition to carbon-free energy.
Google knows that ambition needs constant work. “We know this takes time, which is why we’re working directly with suppliers to identify practical next steps, offer hands-on support and share tools that make the transition more manageable - from navigating clean energy procurement to tracking progress - all of which ultimately strengthen the resilience of our supply chain.”
This is about building for the future through new advanced energy innovations and deeper supplier engagement, both of which are core parts of our strategy as we work toward our climate moonshots, 24/7 carbon free energy and Net Zero by 2030.
A look at 2024’s efforts
In 2024, Google cut energy emissions from its data centres by 12%—even as its electricity use climbed 27%. It also signed agreements to purchase over 8 GW of clean energy, the most in a single year, and completely eliminated plastic from its product packaging.
Water consumption is also in focus. Google replenished 64% of its freshwater use, up from 18% in the previous year, through stewardship projects such as wetland restoration along California’s rivers.
In terms of user impact, more than one billion people accessed sustainability information through Google products.
Five services, including fuel-efficient routing in Google Maps and Nest thermostats, helped reduce an estimated 26 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions in 2024 alone. That’s more than the annual emissions from 3.5 million US homes.
The company is also investing in AI-powered environmental tools. The first FireSat satellite launched to help detect wildfires using AI and its Ironwood TPU - a chip that runs inference-based AI models - is now 30 times more energy efficient than the company’s first Cloud TPU in 2018.
Despite these achievements, the report makes it clear that the road ahead is still long.
Clean energy deployment across Google’s supply chain is a layered challenge, involving everything from national policies to infrastructure gaps and financial constraints.
Read more on Google's Environmental Report 2025
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About AI?
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About Data Centres?
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About Energy?
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About Procurement?
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About Sustainability?
- What Does Google's Environmental Report 2025 Say About Technology?
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