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Apple today released its 2019 Supplier Responsibility Report, offering a look into Code of Conduct violations in Apple's supply chain and details on progress made with programs promoting health, education awareness, and more.

Apple shares an updated Supplier Responsibility Report on an annual basis in an effort to be transparent about the worker conditions in supplier factories and the steps that Apple takes to improve the lives of the employees that create the range of Apple products available to consumers. Data for these reports are gathered from audits of Apple supplier facilities, with 770 locations audited across 30 countries in 2018.

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As of 2018, Apple says that 17.3 million supplier employees have received training in workplace rights, while 3.6 million have been provided with advanced education skills and training, including App Development with Swift courses. Apple chief operating officer Jeff Williams said that in everything Apple does, "people come first."
"We are constantly raising the bar for ourselves and our suppliers because we are committed to the people who make our products possible as well as the planet we all share. This year, we're proud to give more people an opportunity to advance their education. Working alongside our suppliers, we're challenging ourselves to find new ways to keep our planet healthy for future generations. Our goal has always been not just to drive progress in our supply chain, but to drive meaningful change across the industry."
Employees who participated in the Swift training course have created more than 40 apps, while more than 1,500 Apple supplier employees were able to earn a college degree through Apple's educational offerings. Health training programs covering nutrition, maternal health, and more have reached upwards of 250,000 people.

Over the years, Apple has had problems with debt-bonded labor in its supply chain, where recruiters charge factory workers for a job. Apple has long disallowed this practice, and in 2018, Apple introduced new programs to prevent debt-bonded labor in high-risk locations and it limited subcontracting for custodial staff in retail stores. Stricter standards for suppliers who hire foreign contract workers were also implemented.

Apple in 2018 saw a 30 percent increase in "high-performing" suppliers that adhere to the guidelines in its supplier Code of Conduct. On a 100 point assessment scale implemented by Apple, its suppliers earned an overall score of 89 in the Labor and Human Rights category, up from 86 in 2017. The deductions in score came primarily from violations related to working hours and wages.

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Apple discovered 24 working hours falsification violations, two debt-bonded labor violations, and a single underage labor violation.

For Health and Safety and Environment, Apple's suppliers earned an overall score of 93 in each category, up from 90 and 91, respectively, in 2017.

As for environmental efforts, Apple says that all of its final assembly sites for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and HomePod are now certified "Zero Waste to Landfill" thanks to a focus on reuse and recycling. Apple suppliers have diverted 1 million tons of garbage from landfills over the course of three years.

Apple has also expanded its clean water program to 116 suppliers, saving 7.6 billion gallons of water in 2018. Greenhouse gas emissions were reduced by more than 466,000 annualized metric tons, equivalent to removing 100,000 cars from the road.

Apple's full report [PDF] goes into much more detail on the specific programs available to supplier employees and the results from those programs, plus it provides a deeper look into conditions at supplier locations and offers more insight into Apple's environmental efforts.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Article Link: Apple Releases 2019 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report
 
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Reactions: Niko Todd
I’d love to hear you and other predictable pot shot lobbers get into some detail about the supplier responsibility reports and similar improvement efforts by Samsung, Google, Huawei, and others.

Oh wait...
Wait for what exactly? A cursory google search would disavow you of the notion that Apple is alone or unique in their corporate sustainability efforts. Search terms like Samsung + sustainability, Google + sustainability, HP + sustainability, Microsoft + sustainability, etc. could go on, but you get the point. What you'll find is similar programs. Apple is to be lauded for their efforts but shouldn't be used to lob pot shots at others... like you did.;) Which is kinda ironic don'tcha think?
 
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Reactions: samcraig
The Apple PR engine keeps roaring on LOL
Any company that puts out a report like this is literally asking for it to be taken apart and if they get it wrong, a lot of mud will be slung back at the company.
Apple has been doing this report for years and it is good to see how things are getting better. Yes, it is good PR but only if what you say is correct. For most buyers of Apple kit or services, this report won't mean a thing even if they know about it so the PR effect for them will be close to zero.
For some of us, this sort of thing is why we like and often invest in APPL stock. Good Corporate Governance is all part of ethical investing IMHO and little to do with PR.
 
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"The deductions in score came primarily from violations related to working hours and wages."

Yes,, no one wants to work long hours.
 
"The deductions in score came primarily from violations related to working hours and wages."

Yes,, no one wants to work long hours.
I think you may have missed the context of the sentence you quoted.
...violations related to working hours and wages.
I'm guessing people don't mind working long hours. They just have to be paid accordingly. Hence the violations.;)
 
Oh I don't know. It might not be the same as Apple's.. but it's not like other orgs don't address the issue

https://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/sustainability/strategy/
https://sustainability.google/responsible-supply-chain/

Wait for what exactly? A cursory google search would disavow you of the notion that Apple is alone or unique in their corporate sustainability efforts. Search terms like Samsung + sustainability, Google + sustainability, HP + sustainability, Microsoft + sustainability, etc. could go on, but you get the point. What you'll find is similar programs. Apple is to be lauded for their efforts but shouldn't be used to lob pot shots at others... like you did.;) Which is kinda ironic don'tcha think?
You make good points, I wasn’t aware of these pages by those others. Thanks for pointing them out.

However, I still maintain that Apple is unfairly criticized for these issues even as they raise the bar. They get piled on just because it seems to be de rigeur, especially here, while trolls refuse to give credit where it’s due simply because they want a new Mac Pro, miss their laptop ports, don’t like emojis, or just because Apple’s Apple. I also think that it’s important to be visible about things like workplace improvement and environmental stewardship, and I laud Apple’s public statements & transparency efforts. In major tech, Apple has led the way in promoting corporate responsibility, certainly more under Cook than Jobs, and I’d wager that those pages by Samsung, Microsoft, Google, et al, wouldn’t exist had Apple not elevated the game.
 
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Is it "responsible" or is it "progress" that when parts of Apple products have defects (like the MacBook NuKeyboards) that half the assembly must be entirely replaced?
 
You make good points, I wasn’t aware of these pages by those others. Thanks for pointing them out.
Hey, we learn something new every day. I'd wager a lot of Apple fans didn't know that info because some of them tend to be a little bit insular in their tech interest. Heck I'd wager a lot of Samsung and Google fans didn't know it either because that's info that you have to search for. It's not in your face like sexy tech specs.

However, I still maintain that Apple is unfairly criticized for these issues even as they raise the bar. They get piled on just because it seems to be de rigeur, especially here, while trolls refuse to give credit where it’s due simply because they want a new Mac Pro, miss their laptop ports, don’t like emojis, or just because Apple’s Apple. I also think that it’s important to be visible about things like workplace improvement and environmental stewardship, and I laud Apple’s public statements & transparency efforts. In major tech, Apple has led the way in promoting corporate responsibility, certainly more under Cook than Jobs, and I’d wager that those pages by Samsung, Microsoft, Google, et al, wouldn’t exist had Apple not elevated the game.
Are you aware that you did the exact same thing as the "trolls" you complain about? I mean it's sort of hard to complain about what you think they're doing when you're mirroring their perceived acts. You unfairly criticized and didn't give credit, right? If they are trolling, what are you doing? Your opinion carries a lot more weight if isn't simply the opposite side of the same coin as your adversary. They troll Apple, your answer is to troll Google and Samsung? Sort of devalues the other good points you make. By all means, your opinion is your opinion, so express it as you see fit. It's just hard to sympathize with it when it's really no different than the opinions your criticizing.
 
Are you aware that you did the exact same thing as the "trolls" you complain about? I mean it's sort of hard to complain about what you think they're doing when you're mirroring their perceived acts. You unfairly criticized and didn't give credit, right? If they are trolling, what are you doing? Your opinion carries a lot more weight if isn't simply the opposite side of the same coin as your adversary. They troll Apple, your answer is to troll Google and Samsung? Sort of devalues the other good points you make. By all means, your opinion is your opinion, so express it as you see fit. It's just hard to sympathize with it when it's really no different than the opinions your criticizing.
Relax, mon frère. Not trolling. Just partially incorrect and willing to admit it. Since an actual troll’s goal is to create chaos, admitting errors negates the very definition. As long as we’re pointing out sources, there are some dictionaries out there that will help you out with the meaning of “internet troll.”
 
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Relax, mon frère. Not trolling. Just partially incorrect and willing to admit it. Since an actual troll’s goal is to create chaos, admitting errors negates the very definition. As long as we’re pointing out sources, there are some dictionaries out there that will help you out with the meaning of “internet troll.”
Bud if you're cool with what you do, don't let me slow your roll.
 
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