Apple has been very secretive about who it’s suppliers are. Until now, Apple rarely ever directly named it’s suppliers. This was because numerous news sources would then try to find ways of getting Apple-related information from these suppliers. However, in a rather dramatic move, Apple has now posted the list of it’s suppliers on the official website. It has also posted the 2012 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report through which Apple has conveyed that it tries to have the best labour conditions and terms applied at it’s supplier companies.
The long list contains more than about 150 suppliers. At the head of the Progress report, Apple states, “Apple is committed to the highest standards of social responsibility across our worldwide supply chain. We insist that all of our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes. Our actions — from thorough site audits to industry-leading training programs — demonstrate this commitment.”
The report then goes on to demonstrate how continuously works to safeguard the labour rights of the workers at it’s supplier companies. The report also emphasizes that Apple takes all measures possible to ensure the safety of the workers there and works with it’s suppler companies to adopt environment-friendly practices. While there has been a lot of hue and cry over the fact that certain Apple suppliers made their workers work over-time and also didn’t ensure full safety measures, Apple says that it is taking all possible measures to work with these suppliers and procure the best possible working environment for the workers.
While the list does specify the names of the suppliers, it does not tell which suppliers supply what. However, this is still a positive step forward from Apple’s earlier stance of total secrecy and should be welcomed.
