The use of smartphones and mobile technology is helping the environment, cutting 198 tons of carbon emissions per year in the U.S. and across Europe, Mobile Future said Thursday. “The savings are due to the ubiquity of mobile technology, including connected buildings and lifestyle choices like working from home and smart heating and electricity systems,” the group said.

The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) outlined strategies agreed to by its member companies to address and respond to climate change, ITI said in a statement Thursday. The statement highlights three main commitments -- reducing the carbon footprint of operations, reducing the carbon footprint of products over their lifecycles and delivering ongoing innovations to transition to a "sustainable low-carbon global economy" -- to be undertaken by members. The statement also identified a commitment to supporting government policies "with the intent of both mitigating and adapting to climate change." The efforts to support certain public policies related to climate change will be done with increased public-private partnership, the statement said. "We are not an industry that is fond of the status quo, and when it comes to climate change the status quo is unacceptable," ITI CEO Dean Garfield said in a blog post. "We are determined to use our innovative minds to find solutions to these challenges and to identify the opportunities that lie ahead to reduce carbon emissions."

Time Warner Cable’s Go Green initiative reduced by 38 percent its carbon intensity over the past two years, said a TWC news release Thursday. That exceeded the 15 percent goal it set in 2012, it said. To reach that percentage, TWC increased energy efficiency and improved waste and vehicle management, promoting sustainability within its supply chain, and building employee green teams. TWC had a 15 percent increase from 2012 fuel efficiency within its fleet of 20,000 vehicles by buying more fuel-efficient vehicles, it said.

Apple will spend 1.7 billion euros ($1.93 billion) to build and operate two new data centers in Denmark and Ireland that will be 100 percent powered by renewable energy, the company said Monday. The facilities will run Apple’s online services, including the iTunes Store and the App Store, for customers across Europe, it said. “Apple will also work with local partners to develop additional renewable energy projects from wind or other sources to provide power in the future.” Both facilities are expected to begin operations in two years, Apple said.

LG Electronics said it was recognized as one of the most sustainable corporations worldwide in the 2015 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World Index from Corporate Knights and the 2015 Sustainability Yearbook from RobecoSAM. LG received the top gold medal designation in the leisure and CE category from RobecoSAM and was the only supplier of household durables honored in the Corporate Knights index, it said Wednesday. Companies are evaluated on factors including economics, innovation, supply chain management, elimination of hazardous substances, energy efficient products, product stewardship and recycling, labor practices and stakeholder engagement, LG said. Panasonic received the bronze class award in the RobecoSAM index, according to the RobecoSAM website.

Starbucks launched Duracell Powermat wireless charging Wednesday in about 200 San Francisco-area stores, the coffee retailer said in an announcement. It marks the first step in the company’s "strategic plan" to offer Powermat throughout the U.S., and "to explore rollouts in Europe and Asia within the year," it said. Bay Area stores have designated areas on tables and counters where customers can place their compatible devices and charge them wirelessly, it said. Customers also can buy Powermat "rings" for $9.99 that instantly upgrade any phone to wireless charging compatibility, it said. Alternatively, the rings can be borrowed and returned on a per-visit basis, it said.