2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, Apple’s realization of environment issues – Part 2

Asian watchdog groups took the message to the media, spurring boycotts by groups like United Students Against Sweatshops.

In the advocacy of the report, Apple officials list the number of audits done on the suppliers. Following is an excerpt:

“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.”

Through these efforts, Nike was shamed into CSR submission, eventually disclosing the names and locations of its factories. Nike still struggles to ensure that its factories live up to its code of conduct and sometimes it falls short – but its efforts and transparency alone seem to have helped its public image.

The information technology industry has lagged behind textiles on CSR issues, particularly in regard to supply chain management.

While Apple is moving in the right direction, this report doesn’t mean that their products can now be enjoyed guilt-free. Multi-tiered supply chains are hard to manage in an era of globalization. “If you’ve got an office in Shenzhen or Hong Kong, it’s very hard to keep tabs on the perhaps thousands of factories you have across China in any given moment,” said Andrew Hutson, project manager for corporate partnerships with Environmental Defense Fund. While companies usually work most closely with their assembly factories, problems are more likely to arise in the primary or secondary processing of materials, he said.

In a recent survey conducted by Greenpeace, Apple made fourth position in the list of 15 contenders scrutinized on environmental issues. Apple secured 4.6 points out of 10, thanks to big strides on e-waste management.

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Posted by Usman Khalid on Jan 21 2012. Filed under Business, Sci-Tech. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.