Hong Kong-Based Apple Supplier Biel Crystal Accused of Workers Rights Violations

biel_crystal_photo Hong Kong-based nonprofit Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehaviour (SACOM) has brought forth allegations (via Reuters) of major labor issues at Chinese factories belonging to Biel Crystal, a Hong-Kong based display supplier to Apple.

The workers rights group accuses the company of labor violations, such as forced 11-hour shifts, seven days a week, with only one day off each each month. Other accusations include the inadequate compensation to workers when they are injured, with employees reportedly required to sign blank contracts. The report also states that five workers at a company factory have committed suicide since 2011.

Apple also commented on the new accusations towards Biel Crystal:

"We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made," Apple said in a statement sent to Reuters in response to the SACOM report.

Biel Crystal employs more than 60,000 workers and has two factories in the Chinese provinces of Guangdong and Shenzhen. The new accusations also come after a number of alleged labor violations at Apple suppliers earlier this year, including reported workers rights issues at iPhone 5c supplier Jabil Circuit and primary supplier Pegatron. Apple also later issued a statement on the labor controversies surrounding Jabil Circuit, pledging to investigate.

Apple announced in July that it was forming an academic advisory board for its Supplier Responsibility program, saying that it wanted to ensure “safe and ethical working conditions wherever its products are made.” Apple has also published Supplier Responsibility Progress Reports every year since 2007, tracking the ethical progress of its suppliers in order to bring transparency to its product manufacturing process.

Popular Stories

Apple Shopping Event 2025

Apple Announces 2025 Black Friday Event, Here's What You Can Get

Thursday November 20, 2025 6:28 am PST by
Apple's annual four-day Black Friday through Cyber Monday shopping event is returning on Friday, November 28 through Monday, December 1 in many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Thailand, and others. During the shopping event, customers can get an Apple gift card with...
iOS 26

iOS 26.2 Adds These New Features to Your iPhone

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:50 am PST by
iOS 26.2 is currently in beta testing. The upcoming update includes a handful of new features and changes on the iPhone, including a new Liquid Glass slider for the Lock Screen's clock, offline lyrics for Apple Music, and more. In a recent press release, Apple confirmed that iOS 26.2 will be released to all users in December, but it did not provide a specific release date. Keep reading...
hikawa phone grip stand apple%402x

Apple Launches Second Limited-Edition iPhone Accessory in a Month

Friday November 21, 2025 3:53 am PST by
Apple has begun selling the Hikawa Phone Grip and Stand, a new limited-edition iPhone accessory designed with accessibility in mind. Designed by LA-based Bailey Hikawa to celebrate the 40th anniversary of accessibility at Apple, the grip uses magnets to securely snap onto any iPhone with MagSafe. Apple says it can be removed with ease, and doubles as a stand with two different viewing...
iPhone 17 Pro Cosmic Orange

10 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday November 19, 2025 4:00 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...
ipad black friday 2025

The Best Early Black Friday iPad Deals

Thursday November 20, 2025 10:20 am PST by
Black Friday is just over a week away, and iPad deals have finally started to flood in at retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. Below we're tracking discounts on every current generation iPad, including lowest-ever prices on M3 iPad Air and M5 iPad Pro, plus steep markdowns on iPad and iPad mini. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a ...
ipad mini 7 feature red and blue

iPad Mini 8: Four Major New Features to Expect

Wednesday November 19, 2025 7:50 am PST by
Apple's eighth-generation iPad mini is highly likely to arrive next year, offering a significant refresh of the device with at least four major new features. OLED Display The next-generation version of the iPad mini could feature an OLED display, as part of Apple's plan to expand the display technology across many more of its devices. Apple's first OLED device was the Apple Watch in 2015, ...
watchos 26 workout app

Apple Watch Users Claim Workout App Is Now Worse in Every Way

Thursday November 20, 2025 7:01 am PST by
Apple Watch owners have been voicing their frustration online over changes to the Workout app that Apple introduced in watchOS 26, with many finding the redesigned interface makes starting exercises difficult and exasperating. When Apple launched watchOS 26 in September, the Workout app went from large, easily tapped workout tiles to a scrolling, corner-button interface. Instead of tapping a ...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

Two More U.S. States Commit to Offering iPhone Driver's Licenses in Apple Wallet App

Thursday November 20, 2025 8:21 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Apple Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, and then use it to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Earlier this week, Illinois became the 13th state in the U.S. to offer the feature. Subsequently, we shared a list of additional states that are committed...
android iphone airdrop quickshare

iPhone Users Can Now AirDrop Files to Android Devices

Thursday November 20, 2025 9:47 am PST by
Google today announced a new cross-platform feature that allows for file sharing between iPhone and Android users. With AirDrop on the iPhone and QuickShare on Pixel 10 devices, there is a new file transfer function available. The file sharing option works on Apple devices that include iPhone, iPad, and Mac, along with the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL, and Pixel 10 Fold....

Top Rated Comments

gnasher729 Avatar
157 months ago
Do the factories mentioned actually produce things for Apple? If yes, how many of those 60,000 employees work on products made for Apple, and how many work on products made for other companies? Who are the other companies?

There have been reportedly 5 suicides of employees since 2011. The population of the USA is about 5,000 times the number of Biel employees. Have there been more or fewer than 25,000 suicides in the USA since 2011? (Answer: About 40,000 per year). Did these suicides have anything to do with being employed at the company? Did they have anything to do with working on products for Apple?
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
winston1236 Avatar
157 months ago
As a Hong Kong student, I just want to say: "Please annoy these attention w___e" (For give me language, but they are. )
They can't have sex in dorm, they don't have homework to do, so they try to get attention from anywhere they can find.
They don't care the truth, they don't do fact check, they just drop a claim in media and wait the media chase its tail. They are worse than Fox News.
(We have a "kidnap" happen at Saturday, by Sunday at least 70% people believe this is for human trafficking, so media suggest kick Chinese people out, but it turns out the mum possibly hides the baby.
And we almost shut down because four media w___e try to get donation.
Cry baby has become the new Hong Kong culture. )

Does Hong Kong student mean an employee trolling the internet for stories about your company to comment on?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
numlock Avatar
157 months ago
What a ********* up mindset.
You have really not a clue what you are talking about.

"Nobody is saying people killing themselves right after working on the production of apple products". But of course that is _exactly_ what the article wants you to believe. Otherwise, why is Apple even mentioned?

"and then there is the hypocrisy of wanting to be the best, most loved and most popular but not wanting to bear any social responsibility. " Totally wrong. You just have to go to Apple's website, where since 2007 they have published what they have done to improve working conditions, year after year after year.
what kind of a mindless apple drone are you?

there is nothing in the article that makes an innocent reader think that there is a correlation between the production of apple parts/products and suicide. its perfectly logical to name the highest profile customer of this particular plant/company.

are you freaking joking me? referring to companies very own pr social responsibility pages (thats like trusting samsungs benchmark results). apple has dragged its feet on this subject and the environmental one. if having apple named in a report like this upsets you so much then let them know it offends your pristine view of them

you dont seem to be arguing against workers right so i would think you would applaud any and all tips apple (and others) receive to improve their way of doing business
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
IbisDoc Avatar
157 months ago
If that's the case, why bother mentioning Apple at all? Fact is, they stepped in at Foxconn, now they're expected to fix all the problems.

I recommend that they speak the only language that Apple and the defenders of all things Apple understand:

If they could avoid the cost of installation and maintenance of suicide nets (by no longer exploiting third world labor), Apple could further boost its profit margin. That should get Tim Cook fairly excited.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
gixxerfool Avatar
157 months ago
That's a straw man argument. It's not about Apple being in charge of fixing. As the industry leader, which they celebrate at almost every opportunity, they SHOULDN'T BE DOING BUSINESS with these types of companies.

Of course, we all know if the employees were fighting for marriage equality, Apple would be ALL over it. That's a much more important issue that exploitation of work forces.


If that's the case, why bother mentioning Apple at all? Fact is, they stepped in at Foxconn, now they're expected to fix all the problems.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Drunken Master Avatar
157 months ago
This just in: the luxuries of the privileged classes throughout history built upon the broken backs and toil of exploited slaves.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)