Apple Releases 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report and Supplier List
ivka The stream of environmental and labor rights news from Apple continues today with the company"s release of its annual Supplier Responsibility Progress Report for 2012. The report details efforts to oversee working conditions and environmental responsibility at its suppliers around the world, and notes that the company conducted 229 audits during 2011 for an 80% increase over 2010"s auditing levels.
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.
The company notes that in 2011 it began a dedicated environmental auditing process to supplement the environmental checks that had previously been included in the standard auditing procedure. According to the company, third-party environmental engineering experts helped conduct audits at fourteen different facilities, and some violations were found. Full details on the auditing results, including summaries of the various violations discovered in environmental and other areas, are available in the complete report (PDF). Apple for the first time also published a list of 156 suppliers (PDF) representing 97% of the company"s procurement expenditures. While no details on each company"s role in Apple"s supply chain is offered in the document, merely identifying the supply chain offers some improvement in transparency for the secretive company.