Apple has long been criticized for allegedly turning a blind eye to reports of questionable working conditions at the factories where their products are manufactured. Looking to take a more pro-active stance on the matter, Apple recently issued a 24-page employment report on the suppliers it uses to manufacture its products
Apple has long been criticized for allegedly turning a blind eye to reports of questionable working conditions at the factories where their products are manufactured. Looking to take a more pro-active stance on the matter, Apple recently issued a 24-page employment report on the suppliers it uses to manufacture its products. Not surprisingly, Apple’s report raises a lot more questions than it answers while bringing to the forefront a number of alarming working conditions. Still, the fact that Apple commissioned the report in the first place is an encouraging indication that worrisome issues will get better going forward.
Some of the more concerning facts in the report include:
- 50 of Apple’s 102 factories have employees working more than 60 hours a week, in excess of Apple’s allowable limit
- 24 factories used to manufacture Apple products were found to be paying workers less than minimum wage
- 49% of factories aren’t in compliance with required safety standards
- 43% of factories don’t have necessary environmental permits
But the most concerning fact in the report notes that 3 factories in particular employed children as young as 15 years old. In total, Apple found that over 11 minors were, at one point, illegally working in factories that produced Apple hardware.
While working conditions in China tend to generate the most amount of press, the factories covered in Apple’s report span the entire globe, and encapsulate data from countries such as Taiwan, Singapore, the Phillipines, Malaysia, the Czech Republic, Thailand, and of course, the US.
Apple’s report, however, didn’t specify which countries match up to which violations, and it remains unclear where exactly the aforementioned underaged workers were based – though Apple did make a point to note that they are no longer employed.
The results in Apple’s report have been the subject of much criticism so it’s important to keep in mind that Apple did this on its own accord. The report even mentioned that in response to Apple’s audit of factory working conditions, a number of “suppliers stated that Apple was the only company that had ever audited their facility for supplier responsibility.” Granted, Apple’s record on labor conditions is by no means spotless, so hopefully this report is just the first step in Apple’s efforts to ensure proper working conditions in its factories around the world.
