Apple Releases 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report and Supplier List

The stream of environmental and labor rights news from Apple continues today with the company's release of its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report for 2012. The report details efforts to oversee working conditions and environmental responsibility at its suppliers around the world, and notes that the company conducted 229 audits during 2011 for an 80% increase over 2010's auditing levels.

In 2011, we conducted 229 audits throughout our supply chain — an 80 percent increase over 2010 — including more than 100 first-time audits. We continue to expand our program to reach deeper into our supply base, and this year we added more detailed and specialized audits that focus on safety and the environment.

The company notes that in 2011 it began a dedicated environmental auditing process to supplement the environmental checks that had previously been included in the standard auditing procedure. According to the company, third-party environmental engineering experts helped conduct audits at fourteen different facilities, and some violations were found.

apple supplier responsibilty statement
Full details on the auditing results, including summaries of the various violations discovered in environmental and other areas, are available in the complete report (PDF).

Apple for the first time also published a list of 156 suppliers (PDF) representing 97% of the company's procurement expenditures. While no details on each company's role in Apple's supply chain is offered in the document, merely identifying the supply chain offers some improvement in transparency for the secretive company.

Update: The Wall Street Journal has a story on Apple's disclosures, including quotes from CEO Tim Cook.

"I have spent a lot of time in factories over my lifetime and we are clearly leading in this area," said Mr. Cook, previously Apple's chief operating officer who oversaw its supply chain. "It is like innovating in products. You can focus on things that are barriers or you can focus on scaling the wall or redefining the problem." [...]

The report found 108 facilities didn't pay proper overtime wages and 93 facilities had records that indicated more than 50% of their workers exceeded the 60-hour work week. The audits also found 5 facilities had incidents of underage labor.

"Working hours is a complex issue," said Mr. Cook, adding he's confident the company can improve in the area by "monitoring these plants at a very, very micro level."

"I know this is a journey," Mr. Cook said.

Top Rated Comments

langis.elbasunu Avatar
146 months ago
corning glass is not on the list of suppliers

that should put the gorilla glass rumors to rest, no?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
M-O Avatar
146 months ago
Exactly, damage control. Though I know it will never happen, it would be great if they would share the results of these audits.

did you read the article?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
ZipZapRap Avatar
146 months ago
I think it's very telling about our Western society in general, that topics like this on Macrumors, get a couple of pages comment at most, yet talk about anything related to the tech, Android, whatever, and you get 10-20 pages.

Very sad.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
146 months ago
Exactly, damage control. Though I know it will never happen, it would be great if they would share the results of these audits.
Well, Apple just did. And after reading their report, "damage control" seems to me a malicious misinterpretation of what Apple is doing.

Apple doing a good job of covering their asses.
Same here. I'd say Apple doing a good job helping employees who have been exploited by agencies (forcing suppliers to pay $3.3 million dollars this year to such employees), forcing employers to uphold basic worker rights, even when not required by their country's law, and even for workers not involved with Apple products, and forcing employers to stop damaging the environment.

Good to see, but what Apple can do here is rather limited.
How is it limited? Obviously Apple can't force them to do anything, but Apple can and does say: "Behave appropriately, or you are not going to do any business with Apple anymore". And in several cases they said: "You didn't behave appropriately, so our business with you is finished".
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mccldwll Avatar
146 months ago
Exactly, damage control. Though I know it will never happen, it would be great if they would share the results of these audits.

Huh? Read for comprehension. Those stories were about xbox workers. The audit result has been in preparation and has been released.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gnasher729 Avatar
146 months ago
And the suppliers will say "good-by, I'll make stuff for Widowz and Android instead. If you want us to meet these conditions, you (Apple) will have to pay us more for our products to cover the cost difference".

Making the assumption that they would find other customers. Imagine Greenpeace saying "why is company X using Y as a supplier, when Apple cancelled their contract with Y because they are exploiting their employees and destroying the environment"?
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 16

iOS 16.4 for iPhone Nearing Launch With These 5 New Features

Monday March 20, 2023 11:50 am PDT by
Apple says iOS 16.4 is coming in the spring, which began this week. In his Sunday newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said the update should be released "in the next three weeks or so," meaning a public release is likely in late March or early April. iOS 16.4 remains in beta testing and introduces a handful of new features and changes for the iPhone. Below, we have recapped five new features ...
apple park at night 1

Apple 'Tracking Employee Attendance' in Crackdown on Remote Working

Thursday March 23, 2023 3:41 am PDT by
Apple is tracking the attendance of its employees at offices using badge records in order to ensure they are coming in at least three times a week, according to Platformer's Zoë Schiffer. Since April 2022, Apple employees have been operating on a hybrid home/office work policy as part of a gradual return strategy following the pandemic, with staff required to work from the office at least...
iphone 14 pro max deep purple feature purple

iPhone 15 Pro Rumor Recap: 10 New Features and Changes to Expect

Thursday March 23, 2023 6:42 am PDT by
While the iPhone 15 series is still around six months away from launching, there have already been plenty of rumors about the devices. Many new features and changes have been rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in particular. Below, we have recapped 10 changes rumored for iPhone 15 Pro models that are not expected to be available on the standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus:A1...
dynamic island

iPhone 15 Dynamic Island to Include New Integrated Proximity Sensor

Friday March 24, 2023 12:27 am PDT by
This year, all iPhone 15 models will include Apple's Dynamic Island that unifies the pill and hole cutouts at the top of the display, but there will also be a material change to the feature that wasn't included in the iPhone 14 Pro models. According to a new tweet by Apple industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the proximity sensor on the iPhone 15 series will be integrated inside the Dynamic Island ...
maxresdefault

Nothing Launches $149 Ear (2) Wireless Earbuds to Compete With AirPods Pro 2

Wednesday March 22, 2023 9:48 am PDT by
Nothing today announced the launch of its second-generation wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2), which offer many of the same features as Apple's AirPods Pro 2 at a lower price point. We went hands-on with the Ear (2) earbuds to see whether they're a viable alternative to the AirPods Pro 2 for those who want to save some cash. The Ear (2) earbuds are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1),...
voice isolation

iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:01 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today. Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa. Voice...
TMobile Sprint

Apple Stops Allowing Sprint iPhone Activations, Removes Sprint References From Online Store

Thursday March 23, 2023 12:06 pm PDT by
Apple is no longer allowing customers who purchase an iPhone, cellular iPad, or Apple Watch to activate a device with now-defunct mobile carrier Sprint. Apple has also removed remaining references to Sprint from its online store. When checking out with a new purchase, Sprint is no longer an option for connectivity, a change that Apple appears to have implemented today. Prior to now, Sprint...
airpodsd 3 purple 4

iOS 16.4 Seemingly References New AirPods and AirPods Case

Tuesday March 21, 2023 11:43 am PDT by
The iOS 16.4 release candidate version that was provided to developers today appears to hint at a new set of AirPods that could be coming in the near future. According to @aaronp613, the beta features references to AirPods that have a model number of A3048 and an AirPods case with a model number of A2968. There have been no rumors that new AirPods are on the horizon, and it is early for...