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Apple Addresses Factory Pollution In China
redletterdave writes "Apple reportedly sent five employees to meet with five different Chinese environmental groups on Nov. 15, only to learn about several troubling environmental issues at as many as 22 different product parts suppliers. In the three-hour meeting, the Chinese environmentalist coalition claimed the factories were releasing toxic gasses, heavy metal sludge and other pollutants. Apple acknowledged that a number of its supply firms have failed to properly keep track of their wastewater emissions and vowed to improve its environmental standards for suppliers; this is the first time Apple has admitted any wrongdoing in relation to environmental pollution from any of its Chinese supply chains. The meeting comes one month after one of Apple's Chinese suppliers of MacBook parts was shut down by China's government in response to resident complaints of 'unbearable odors,' which were described as a mix of chemical fertilizer and burning plastic."
I'm not an apple fan, I like Linux. However all hardware manufacturers are guilty here not just apple.
To offset political mods, replace Flamebait with Insightful.
Apple reportedly sent five employees to meet with five different Chinese environmental groups on Nov. 15, only to learn about several troubling environmental issues at as many as 22 different product parts suppliers.
Huh, that's odd, it was back in September when Apple outright rejected these claims. Perhaps Apple is free to conduct investigations with the passing of a certain misanthrope?
My work here is dung.
of Jobs is washing away. --Chinese Treebeard
If only he could see how apple is not putting absolute profit ahead of everything else. Who was the more ruthless businessman in hindsight Mr Jobs or Mr Gates?
Apple makes a big deal about how environmentally friendly their laptop lineup is. Maybe the non-environmentally friendly stuff just stays on the other side of the ocean, somewhere where we'll never hear about it.
"God does not play Minecraft with the world." - Albert Einstein
Apple's Chinese suppliers of MacBook parts was shut down by China's government in response to resident complaints of 'unbearable odors,'
If that's true, the Chinese government cares more about it's people than the American one.
An American government would have said something along the lines of "deal with it you pussies"
this is the first time Apple has admitted any wrongdoing in relation to environmental pollution from any of its Chinese supply chains
Blaming the user of the components (Apple) is virtually the same as blaming the end-user (consumers). It is NOT Apple's fault China has lax compliance.
I hate apple, but why is this apple's fault?
When you see 7,000 people camped outside a store for 2 days waiting to get their grubby little paws on the latest gadget (apple, android, pc, xbox, whatever) it's a clear sign that people have Too Much (tm).
When people have Too Much (excess) there is senseless waste. It's the waste which drives the demand which drives the pollution. It's not just China. It's not just Apple. It's manufacturers responding to a demand.
Join the Slashcott! Feb 10 thru Feb 17!
this is the first time Apple has admitted any wrongdoing in relation to environmental pollution from any of its Chinese supply chains.
Thus is also the first time they've admitted that they will stop beating their wife. Even if Apple has some "wrongdoing" to admit at.least they are doing something unlike Dell, Logitech, HP, Microsoft, IBM, Intel, AMD, Acer, Toshiba, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Cisco, Nintendo, Sony, Nokia, MSI, Vizio, Samsung, HTC, Wal-Mart, Best Buy, etc.(the list can go on) who have yet to admit their wrongdoings since they use the same suppliers.
Cripes, you go to all of the trouble to find the place with the loosest/most poorly enforced regulatory structure, and then suddenly the government pulls a bait and switch and starts caring about the massive toll all of it is having on the population. It's a real pain to go and find some new place where they don't care about their citizens. The modern world is a libertarian nightmare.
I read the internet for the articles.
You think that with all the positive stuff Apple has been doing lately that they must have have a change in upper management.
And I thought Apple's products were made of ORGANIC fertilizer...
"Due diligence"
"Ask not what your country can do for you." --John F. Kennedy
Serious question -- how did this even come to light? I thought China was completely hands-off with regards to their manufacturing industries. Isn't that (and the cheaper labor) the reason why companies choose to produce there in the first place? I guess someone didn't get paid enough and is calling in the authorities on this.
I'm sure Apple isn't too happy about this. If they're forced to use a supplier who pollutes less, that supplier is going to charge them more and shave more margin off those MacBooks they're making.
As long as they are on top of the environment, that slave labor FoxCon uses is not a problem.
Or it would be, if they had, which they haven't.
Admitting that your suppliers have environmental problems is not the same as admitting wrongdoing, as I'm sure Apple's lawyers will be happy to remind you. That they have finally admitted that their _suppliers_ have a problem, and even made noises about improving their standards for suppliers, is a big step forward for Apple which they should get credit for. Its still a long cry from admitting that they did anything wrong, or - profit margins forbid! - offering to do anything about helping to clean up the mess.
Its not apples fault.. noo... it must be Microsoft, Bush and Obama's fault.
Whats wrong with good old fashioned pollution? You slash wussies.
If Apple are guilty of anything here, then so are the consumers of Apple products. And seeing as a large percentage of other products we buy from countless other manufacturers probably have parts manufactured in similar factories and in similar conditions, that makes pretty much all of us guilty.
The more Chinese that are killed through pollution, the better. After all, they are doing it to themselves. It doesn't matter how much Apple and others are willing to pay for manufacturing, none of these companies forced China to run with no rules, nor forced Foxconn and the like to pollute. Let the Chinese take responsibility for the Hell they created.
Actually, Apple and other manufacturers are NOT responsible for their SUPPLIERS' mishaps.
Sure they are. Apple has almost certainly been sued for problems that are/were caused by their suppliers. Apple chooses who they want to do business with and as a result bears at least some responsibility for the actions of their suppliers. While it is unrealistic to expect Apple to be responsible for every action of their suppliers, they most definitely are responsible for some of them. The supplier and Apple share responsibility for the products they jointly create AND any by-products or problems they create as well.
Now that Steve is gone, all those seemingly evil ways that made Apple great will fade away. The new guy will not match up to his prediccessor. Just like Microsoft.
The post is clearly worded inaccurately, with an apparent bias against Apple. Rather than reading, "this is the first time Apple has admitted any wrongdoing in relation to environmental pollution from any of its Chinese supply chains," it should read, "this is the first time Apple has acknowledged any wrongdoing on the part of its Chinese suppliers in relation to environmental pollution."
I would also ask, is it really Apple's responsibility to keep an eye on Chinese companies? Shouldn't that be the responsibility of the Chinese government?
Latest version he says "Siri smoke", but I know there's an older version out there somewhere...
they would manufacture their shit here in the US where we have laws against this. They don't care, that's why all the manufacturing is done in China, where the govt doesn't give a shit about the environment. They probably figure once they've fucked up their own country, they can just use all the American debt to buy unpolluted land in Cali, Hawaii, and any other state they think is nice.
21st Century Renaissance Man
The education institution has grown a thick crust of money-sucking entities that serve no other purpose than to engorge themselves. Despite spending more money per capita than any other nation, we have barely-literate people coming out of highschools and debt-ridden people pumped out of colleges.
The excesses uncovered in the public sector have only happened under the protecting veil of public unions. People saving years and years of vacation (and having to be paid overtime at double salary in the meantime) only to take all accrued vacation and sick days in the last year to double their pension, where in the private sector you can't even accumulate past 12-14 days of vacation. People getting paid the same or more as the private sector, despite not having to pay a dime for health care, or invest in a retirement fund for their guaranteed continued income after 25 years of "service" ("defined benefit" plans), where everyone else has to pay part of their salary into retirement investment plans they don't even control, and on which they will pay taxes later. People working with guaranteed yearly percentage salary increases that they won't give up even in a stagnant economy. People "retiring" at 45 with full pension and benefits only to start a second public service job. An overgrown and overpaid administration apparatus for schools that gives themselves bonuses and salary increases. I see nothing about human rights. All I see is a leeches that engorge themselves with our tax money, while we have no one negotiating on our behalf. The politicians are elected at the behest of the unions, so they will bend over for them once in office. There is no one protecting the taxpayer from this system, our only option is to continue paying more taxes to make up for any investment losses in their pension funds.
Public unions should not exist. They serve no purpose, it is a subset of "the people" negotiating against all the people.
in the USA by union labor.
http://images.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/pdf/Apple_SR_2011_Progress_Report.pdf
http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/
Too many of those who blog about Apple continue to complain about the cost of Apple products. But if you want Apple to use clean suppliers that its competitors do not, then the prices will go up.
Fundamentally it is about the Chinese government putting in place the correct level of environmental protection laws (enforcement does not seem to be a problem in China btw). Instead they are too interested in cornering the manufacturing market and becoming the No.1 world economic power - the environment is nothing to them. Historically the Chinese government/rulers have never concerned about the provinces so long as they produce money - nothings changed.
The only thing we feel entitled to is the fruits of our own labor.
The Apple reps at one monent of indecision scurried off to the back corner the building to shit and vomit like crazy.
Then, the local "containment crew" arrives to use pick-ax, shovels to mix the soil with the ... ah hem ... ingredients.
Then a final crew come with kerocene flame throwers and burns the "containment area" soils to a crisp.
So what does that say about what the Chinks think about the Crakers.
)9)