Apple today shared its 2020 Supplier Responsibility progress report [PDF], and as noted by TechCrunch, it includes a letter that details Apple's plans to increase safety and protection in its worldwide supply chain in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak.
Authored by Sabih Khan, Apple's senior vice president of operations, the letter details changes that Apple has made to protect its supply chain partners, such as strict adherence to social distancing, limiting density, and health screenings.
Some of the measures that Apple has put in place include the following:
- Personal protective equipment during work and in common areas is required.
- Masks and sanitizer have been provided to employees.
- Enhanced deep cleaning protocols and been implemented.
- Suppliers have redesigned and reconfigured factory floorplans where needed for social distancing.
- Flexible working hours and staggered work shifts have been implemented for maximizing interpersonal space.
The 2020 Supplier Responsibility Report was created based on interviews with 52,000 workers, with Apple auditing suppliers in 49 countries, up from 30 in 2018. There were 1142 total audits in 2019. Some additional highlights from the report:
- $1.3 million in recruitment fees were repaid to employees in 2019.
- There was a 53% year over year increase in supplier sites committed to achieving zero waste.
- 30.5 billion gallons of freshwater have been conserved by suppliers to date.
- Apple saw 100 percent participation in third-party audits across tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, and cobalt smelters and refiners.
- There was a 13% increase in high-performing supplier facilities year over year.
- Less than one percent of Apple's suppliers were considered low-performing.
- Over 154,700 suppliers used SEED learning opportunities in 2019.
- 41 people took part in Apple's intensive app development course with a 100 percent graduation rate.
Article Link: Apple Shares 2020 Supplier Responsibility Report Detailing COVID-19 Precautions
