Apple has announced the first recipients of its Impact Accelerator, which aims to bolster equity efforts and foster opportunity in the environmental sector.

Part of the company's Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, the accelerator program will provide fifteen Black-, Brown-, and Native American and Indigenous-owned businesses with customized training as well as access to Apple experts and an alumni community. Businesses are working in areas such as energy efficiency, solar energy, green chemistry, and recycling and many share a specific focus on bringing clean energy, opportunity, and vital services to vulnerable and underserved communities. Following the three-month virtual program, companies will be considered for opportunities to act as suppliers to Apple.

Recipients include BlocPower, (Brooklyn), which aims to make American cities greener, smarter, and healthier by turning aging, inefficient buildings into state-of-the-art structures; Bench-Tek Solutions (Santa Clara, California), which specializes in building ergonomic and environmentally friendly furniture for different types of workspaces; and Oceti Sakowin Power Authority (Tribal regions across the Dakotas), an independent, nonprofit governmental entity formed by six Sioux tribes to jointly develop tribal renewable energy resources. Additional recipients include Dunamis Clean Energy Partners (Southfield, Michigan), a technology, manufacturing, and engineering firm focused on energy efficiency and environmental service solutions; and RFG-MPW Environmental & Facility Services (Detroit), which aims to be the leading provider of integrated, technology-based industrial cleaning, facility management, water purification, container management, and environmental services in North America.

"We are thrilled to welcome our first Impact Accelerator class, and look forward to seeing how these innovative businesses will expand their work to protect the planet and our communities," said Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives. "On our journey to our 2030 carbon neutral goal for our supply chain and products, we're determined to help create a greener and more equitable future for all people. The businesses we're partnering with today are poised to become tomorrow’s diverse and innovative industry leaders, creating ripples of change to help communities everywhere adapt to the urgent challenges posed by climate change."