To make truly great products, we feel it’s crucial to build them in ways that are ethical and environmentally responsible.
All over the world, people are building Apple products. And we want to make sure that each person is treated with dignity and respect. This is why we create programs that educate and empower workers, and help preserve our environment’s precious resources for future generations. It’s a massive challenge — one where our work is never done. But each year we implement meaningful, lasting changes across our supply chain.
Around the globe, Apple employees are united in bringing equality, human rights, and respect for the environment to the deepest layers of our supply chain.
Accountability
We go deep into our supply chain to enforce our social and environmental standards.
Accountability and improvement — for our suppliers and for ourselves — are among our core objectives. So we continually strengthen our Supplier Code of Conduct to help implement safer and more ethical working conditions. In 2014, our auditors conducted 633 comprehensive, in-person audits — a 40 percent increase over 2013. When we find noncompliance, which we do in every audit, we partner with suppliers and work onsite to drive change. And then we work to raise the bar even higher.
Empowering Workers
We empower workers through education.
Apple is committed to providing and expanding educational opportunities for workers in our supply chain. Since 2008, more than 861,000 workers have taken advantage of our Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) program, which offers free courses ranging from economics to English. Now SEED is expanding beyond the traditional classroom setting to include more cutting-edge tools, including a new iPad-based learning program.
在参加 SEED 计划之后，我掌握了更多的职业发展技能，我对从事人力资源工作更有信心了。龚雪玥
湖北
After participating in SEED, I was able to gain career development skills that inspired me to pursue human resources as my career.Xueyue Gong
Hubei Province, China
Labor & Human Rights
We demand that suppliers treat workers fairly and ethically at all times.
Every supplier that does business with Apple must demonstrate the highest commitment to protecting workers’ rights. This includes abiding by a maximum 60-hour workweek. Last year, 92 percent of all our suppliers’ workweeks were compliant with our 60-hour maximum standard. It also means holding suppliers accountable to ethical hiring practices. In 2014, we helped over 4500 foreign contract workers recoup US$3.96 million in excessive fees paid to labor brokers. Our dedication to human rights even extends to using more conflict-free minerals in our products.
Learn more about how Apple is helping protect workers’ rights
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Health & Safety
We insist on safe and healthy facilities for all workers.
Whether it’s in Cupertino or Chengdu, worker safety is of paramount importance. We’ve found that well-trained managers and employees are essential to the process. In 2014, participants in our Environment, Health, and Safety (EHS) Academy launched more than 870 projects in their facilities to improve working conditions. Apple also initiated an extensive mapping program to strengthen chemical management processes across our supply chain.
Learn more about how Apple is safeguarding worker health and safety
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Environment
We hold our products and processes to the highest environmental standards.
Our planet has a finite amount of precious resources. We’re doing our part to conserve them, including half a billion gallons of freshwater, through our Clean Water Program. And by educating managers on air pollution control and other subjects through our 18-month, 19-course EHS Academy. It’s an ongoing effort, but we’re committed to making Apple products and processes safer for people and the planet.
Learn more about how Apple is promoting environmental responsibility
Our Suppliers
We publish our guidelines and suppliers for the world to see.
From the start of our supplier responsibility efforts, we’ve pushed ourselves to be increasingly transparent about our work. Every year we publish our top 200 suppliers, list the names of the smelters in our supply chain — including their verification status with conflict-free audit programs — and freely share the detailed internal standards behind our Code of Conduct. We hope our openness inspires other companies to do the same.
Progress Report Every year, Apple issues a progress report with the results of the previous year’s audits and corrective actions. Learn more about the 2015 report