Brand owner: Apple Inc.
Head office: Cupertino, CA, USA
Sector: Electronics
Categories : Computers, Notebooks, Audio, Video, (Mobile) Phones
Free Tags: Mac, Macbook, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Laptop, Computer, Mobile Phone, iMac, Macintosh
| 1. Does the brand (company) clearly support global mandatory cuts of carbon emissions of at least 50% by 2050 or 30% by industrialized countries by 2020? |
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Although Apple reports on several initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, Apple has not made public such a commitment. | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) disclosed the annual carbon footprint of its 'own operations' and of the supply / production chain? |
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Apple gives an overview for the total carbon emissions of 2011 that covers the full life cycle of products, including production, transport and 'own operations'. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) set a target to reduce its ‘own operations’ carbon footprint by at least 20% within the next 5 years? |
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Apple has not made public such an objective. Apple reports that their 'own operations' are responsible for 2% of carbon emissions during the life cycle of Apple products. However, Apple has not made public any commitment to actually reduce this part of their carbon footprint. | Source |
| 4. Has the brand (company) already reduced or compensated its 'own operations' carbon footprint by at least 10% in the last 5 years? |
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Apple mentions several initiatives to minimize its carbon emissions, but it is not clear what impact this had on the total footprint in the last 5 years. The carbon footprints from 2006 to 2011 are presented by Apple, relative to the number of employees. The carbon emission data is therefore incomplete. | Source |
| 5. Do all new products of the brand meet the latest Energy Star requirements (where applicable)? |
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All Mac computers are Energy Star compliant by default. Also the adapters for iPhones exceed the standards. | Source |
| 1. Has the brand (company) eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products? If not, does the brand give a timeline for achieving this by 2012? |
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All new models after 2008 are PVC and BFR-free. | Source |
| 2. Has the brand (company) already eliminated PVC and BFRs in all new products? |
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All new models after 2008 are PVC and BFR-free. | Source |
| 3. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates) in all of its new products? If not, does it give a timeline for achieving this by 2012? |
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Only phthalates is mentioned as a target phase out, nothing found about the other chemicals. | Source |
| 4. Has the brand (company) already eliminated at least 2 of the 3 groups of suspect chemicals (beryllium, antimony and phthalates)in all of its new products? |
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Only phthalates is mentioned as a target phase out, nothing found about the other chemicals. | Source |
| 5. Does the brand (company) support the principle of Individual Producer Responsibility (IPR), meaning that brands are responsibility for the entire lifecycle of their own products, including take back and recycling? |
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Apple only provides a free recycle-option to consumers buying a new Mac. According to information on the website it is not clear if Apple supports the IPR principles. | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) provide free and easy take back and recycling services for its discarded products in many of the countries where its products are sold? |
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Computers, displays, iPods and mobile phones can be sent by mail, free, to be recycled 'domestically' (in Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific area and Australia). | Source |
| 7. Does the brand (company) source at least 5% of its plastics from recycled plastic streams and does it give a clear timeline to increase this percentage to at least 25% by 2025? |
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Apple doesn't provide any information about sourcing and using recycled plastic streams in the production process. | Source |
| 1. Does the brand (company) have a policy that excludes smelters of conflict minerals by only sourcing minerals from conflict free areas or by only sourcing minerals from conflict areas when human rights are respected and where contributing to conflict is avoided? |
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Apple has a policy to exclude smelters of conflict minerals by implementing the EICC Conflict Free Smelter program with its suppliers (see p. 11). | Source |
| 2. Does the brand (company) have a Code of Conduct (CoC) for both its own factories and those of its suppliers, which includes the following standards: No forced or slave labor, no child labor, no discrimination of any kind and a safe and hygienic workplace? |
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All standards are mentioned in Apple Code of Conduct. See pages: 1,2 and 4 in the Code of Conduct. | Source |
| 3. Does the brand’s (company’s) CoC include at least 3 of the following workers rights: 1. a formally registered employment relationship 2. a maximum working week of 48 hours with voluntary paid overtime of 12 hours maximum 3. a sufficient living wage 4. form and join labor unions and bargain collectively; and in those situations where these rights are restricted under law, to develop parallel means? |
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1. Not mentioned; 2. No, maximum working week is 60 hours (including overtime), "except in emergency cases" which can mean anything; 3. No, mentioning of minimum wage, not living wage (see page 2); 4. No, freedom of association is mentioned, but nothing found about situations in which this right is restricted by law (see p.2). | Source |
| 4. Does the brand (company) have a published list of direct suppliers that have collectively contributed to more than 90% of the purchase volume? |
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Apple published a supplier list covering 97% of its supplies. | Source |
| 5. Is the brand (company) a member of a multi stakeholder initiative (MSI), wherein independent NGO’s or labor unions are represented, that collectively aims to improve labor conditions and that carries out independent audits? Or does the brand (company) significantly purchase its supplies from factories certified by such MSI’s? |
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Apple is the first and only electronics company to join the Fair Labor Organisation. This is an organization of companies, universities and independent NGO's that collaborate to improve labour conditions in the supply chains. | Source |
| 6. Does the brand (company) annually report on the results of its labor conditions policy? |
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Apple publishes a detailed overview of audits realized (127 in 2010) in its Supplier Responsibility Report 2011 and Progress report 2012. | Source |
| 7. Has the brand’s labor conditions policy resulted in a ‘compliance level’ of at least 30% of the purchase volume, or a ‘monitored level' of at least 80%? |
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Apple provides a report on the audits held at facilities in 2011, and gives a list of core violations, such as excessive overtime. Apple does not make clear what part of the total production volume is compliant to the Code of Conduct, or monitored. | Source |