Apple on Wednesday released its 2014 environmental responsibility report, which acknowledged the need to address manufacturing partners' carbon emissions and its own rising water consumption. The latest report claims that APple's investments in renewable energy helped slash its carbon footprint from energy use by 31 percent from fiscal 2011 to fiscal 2013. That's despite power consumption soaring 44 percent over the same period.

Apple added that water usage had spiked as a result of general construction and expansion. It also blamed production partners for the largest portion of its carbon footprint, without naming them.