Apple steeds transparanter over de supply chain

Apple wil dat leveranciers geen gevaarlijke stoffen meer gebruiken in de Apple producten en richt zich op meer duurzame energie voor datacenters. Dit jaar krijgt ook de herkomst van zogenoemde 'conflictmineralen'  aandacht. Apple biedt steeds meer transparantie over haar leveranciers sinds Tim Cook het leiderschap van het bedrijf over nam. 

Apple's senior vice president of operations Jeff Williams vertelde The Wall Street Journal: 'In the company's 2014 Supplier Responsibility report published on Wednesday, Apple identified that its suppliers use 20 global smelters or refiners whose tantalum has been verified by third-party auditors as what the industry calls "conflict-free." Jeff Williams, Apple's senior vice president of operations, said the company has had success in pressuring tantalum smelters to agree to a third-party audit because Apple and other consumer electronics firms are the biggest users of the metal'.

Apple stelt: 'We work with suppliers to make sure they're using environmentally responsible manufacturing. We take great care to design environmentally sound products. And we work with suppliers to make sure they use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever those products are made'.

Zelfs Greenpeace maakte complimenten over de nieuwe rapportage van Apple: 'Apple's increased transparency about its suppliers is becoming a hallmark of Tim Cook's leadership at the company. Apple has flexed its muscles in the past to push suppliers to remove hazardous substances from products and provide more renewable energy for data centers, and it is proving the same model can work to reduce the use of conflict minerals.  Samsung and other consumer electronics companies should follow Apple's example and map its suppliers, so the industry can exert its collective influence to build devices that are better for people and the planet'.

Apple's rapportage over hun 520 belangrijkste leveranciers is te downloaden op deze website.