of working conditions at companies that make parts for its products, listed its suppliers for the first time and disclosed instances of rights violations by some manufacturers.
An annual audit released yesterday pointed to involuntary labor at 17 factories and underage labor at five, according to the company’s supplier responsibility report. Apple, based in Cupertino, California, also published the names of 156 companies that account for 97 percent of the company’s procurement expenditures.
barbour jackets Apple, which began releasing the report in 2007, has faced scrutiny of labor practices at such manufacturers as Foxconn Technology Group. Environmental and human rights groups have criticized the company for the working conditions and use of unsafe materials by suppliers contracted to build the iPhone, iPad, iPod and Mac.
“We insist that our manufacturing partners follow Apple’s strict code of conduct,” Apple Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook wrote yesterday in an e-mail to employees. “These audits make sure that working conditions are safe and just, and if a manufacturer won’t live up to our standards, we stop working with them.”
barbout coats Apple’s list of suppliers includes such companies as Broadcom Corp., Samsung Electronics Co., Sony Corp. and Qualcomm Inc. One component maker not named, OmniVision Technologies Inc., fell 3.2 percent in U.S. trading yesterday.
Apple’s audit examined all levels of Apple’s supply chain, from component suppliers to final assembly.
Violations
In 229 audits, Apple discovered violations, including instances of underage labor; long working hours; unfair compensation; unsafe working conditions; and practices that cause harm to the environment.
barbour sale In the case of underage workers, Apple said it required the suppliers to support the young peoples’ return to school and to improve management systems to add age-verification procedures. Apple said it ceased working with one repeat offender of its involuntary labor standards.
Apple also discovered 93 factories where records indicated more than half of workers exceeded a limit of 60 hours of work a week. Apple said it required suppliers to change work shifts and hired a consultant to help factories avoid long work hours.
www.shopbarbourjackets.com Also cited by Apple were 42 facilities engaged in such compensation-related violations as delayed payment of wages, 67 that deducted pay as a punishment tool, 68 facilities that didn’t provide adequate benefits and 108 that didn’t pay proper overtime wages.
Discrimination