Apple’s Resignation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Draws Criticism

After Apple’s announcement of resigning from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce over its stance on climate change, the Chamber has fired back with a letter, stating the Mac maker “didn't take the time to understand” its position. The letter, signed by Chamber President Thomas Donohue, was addressed to Apple Co-founder Steve Jobs on Tuesday, who learned that Apple was being criticized over its departure from the Chamber, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal.

“It is unfortunate that your company didn’t take the time to understand the Chamber’s position on climate and forfeited the opportunity to advance a 21st century approach to climate change,” Donohue wrote in his letter to Steve Jobs. Donohue also slammed the leading proposal in Congress to limit U.S. greenhouse gas emissions as one that “will cause Americans to lose their jobs and shift greenhouse-gas emissions overseas, negating potential climate benefits.”

In a letter of its own on Monday, Apple stressed that it had put a lot of effort into reducing greenhouse-gas emissions at its facilities, while designing more energy-efficient consumer products, with Catherine A. Novelli (vice president of Worldwide Government Affairs for Apple) saying the work had been done without any mandates from the government because “it is the right thing to do.”

“We would prefer that the Chamber take a more progressive stance on this critical issue and play a constructive role in addressing the climate crisis,” Novelli said. “However, because the Chamber's position differs so sharply with Apple's, we have decided to resign our membership effective immediately.”

Apple recently announced a new environmental initiative, claiming its efforts to stay green had not been reflected by the Greenpeace “Guide to Greener Electronics.” Greenpeace admitted that the figures reflected Apple’s situation before the publication of its green initiative. The environmental organization now lauds the Mac maker for being ahead of the industry in terms of removing toxic materials from its products.