• Home
  • News
  • Fortune 500
  • Tech
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
PointCloud

Apple, Facebook, and Google Top Greenpeace Energy Report Card

Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
Barb Darrow
By
Barb Darrow
Barb Darrow
Down Arrow Button Icon
January 10, 2017, 5:18 AM ET
Courtesy of Facebook

Tech companies love to tout how energy efficient and sustainable their data centers are getting. Now it appears that progress is being made toward sustainability, according to the “Click Clean” report released Tuesday by the environmental watchdog group Greenpeace. The advocacy group uses the annual report to rate big cloud computing and other tech companies on their use of renewable power, and how active they are in promoting others to do the same.

For 2016, Greenpeace said Facebook (FB), Apple (AAPL), and Google (GOOGL)—which first pledged to go to 100% renewable energy four years ago—remain the standard bearers, each getting an overall grade of A.

Greenpeace uses what it calls a clean energy index to sum up the amount of clean energy companies use from renewable sources, plus hydroelectric power. It also assesses how open and transparent a company is about its energy sources and planning, as well as how much firms advocate for the use of clean energy.

Data center energy use is very important because the computers and other gear that run information technology currently suck up an estimated 7% of the world’s electricity.

For more on renewable energy, watch Fortune’s video:

Microsoft (MSFT) and Salesforce (CRM) got Bs in the report, while Amazon (AMZN) Web Services received a C. Greenpeace, which has dinged Amazon in the past for not being transparent enough about its energy use, did so again this time out, giving it an F in this category this year.

clickclean-final-art

AWS did commit to some big clean energy deals last year, including the use of wind power farms in North Carolina and Texas. However, Greenpeace noted that because of Amazon’s “continued lack of transparency and its rapid growth in Virginia and other markets largely served by dirty energy, it remains unclear whether the AWS cloud is actually on a path to becoming renewably powered.”

Get Data Sheet, Fortune’s technology newsletter.

Greenpeace senior IT analyst Gary Cook acknowledged those big renewable deals, but noted that “you have to remember they were starting from way behind Google and others and, as you know, AWS is still growing at a massive scale.”

Amazon did not respond to a request for comment.

About the Author
Barb Darrow
By Barb Darrow
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in

LawInternet
A Supreme Court decision could put your internet access at risk. Here’s who could be affected
By Dave Lozo and Morning BrewDecember 2, 2025
6 hours ago
A computer screen with the Vanguard logo on it
CryptoBlockchain
Vanguard has a change of heart on crypto, lists Bitcoin and other ETFs
By Carlos GarciaDecember 2, 2025
6 hours ago
AITikTok
China’s ByteDance could be forced to sell TikTok U.S., but its quiet lead in AI will help it survive—and maybe even thrive
By Nicholas GordonDecember 2, 2025
7 hours ago
United Nations
AIUnited Nations
UN warns about AI becoming another ‘Great Divergence’ between rich and poor countries like the Industrial Revolution
By Elaine Kurtenbach and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
8 hours ago
Anthropic cofounder and CEO Dario Amodei
AIEye on AI
How Anthropic’s safety first approach won over big business—and how its own engineers are using its Claude AI
By Jeremy KahnDecember 2, 2025
8 hours ago
Sabrina Carpenter
LawImmigration
Sabrina Carpenter rips ‘evil and disgusting’ White House use of one of her songs in an ICE raid video montage
By Fatima Hussein and The Associated PressDecember 2, 2025
8 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Economy
Ford workers told their CEO 'none of the young people want to work here.' So Jim Farley took a page out of the founder's playbook
By Sasha RogelbergNovember 28, 2025
4 days ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Warren Buffett used to give his family $10,000 each at Christmas—but when he saw how fast they were spending it, he started buying them shares instead
By Eleanor PringleDecember 2, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
Elon Musk says he warned Trump against tariffs, which U.S. manufacturers blame for a turn to more offshoring and diminishing American factory jobs
By Sasha RogelbergDecember 2, 2025
11 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Forget the four-day workweek, Elon Musk predicts you won't have to work at all in ‘less than 20 years'
By Jessica CoacciDecember 1, 2025
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
C-Suite
MacKenzie Scott's $19 billion donations have turned philanthropy on its head—why her style of giving actually works
By Sydney LakeDecember 2, 2025
17 hours ago
placeholder alt text
AI
More than 1,000 Amazon employees sign open letter warning the company's AI 'will do staggering damage to democracy, our jobs, and the earth’
By Nino PaoliDecember 2, 2025
19 hours ago
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.