Big firms such as Apple will have to track, report most greenhouse gas emissions to do business in California

Corporate giants such as Apple will soon be required to track and report almost all of their greenhouse gas emissions if they do business in California – including emissions from their supply chains, business travel, employees’ commutes and the way customers use their products, reports The Conversation.

That means, for example, that Apple will have to account for materials that go into iPhones.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two new rules into law on Oct. 7. Under the new Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, U.S.- companies with annual revenues of US$1 billion or more will have to report both their direct and indirect greenhouse gas emissions starting in 2026 and 2027. The California Chamber of Commerce opposed the regulation, arguing it would increase companies’ costs. But more than a dozen major corporations endorsed the rule, including Apple.

“Throughout our environmental journey, we’ve emphasized the importance of measurement and reporting to help us understand our impact,” said the letter, signed by Apple’s director for state and local government affairs D. Michael Foulkes, a copy of which Senator Scott Wiener posted on Thursday to X (the social media service formally known as) Twitter.

The second law, the Climate-Related Financial Risk Act, requires companies generating $500 million or more to report their financial risks related to climate change and their plans for risk mitigation.