Two years ago, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was ripped by Chinese environmental groups over supplier pollution. They also stated that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) didn’t respond to their immediate concerns and took advantage of relaxed environmental protection laws.
Fortunately, in the last few years, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has made some significant changes in their policy. Those changes have also been noticed by some of their biggest critics. According to Fortune Magazine, Ma Jun praised Apple during a global forum in Chengdu, China. He said,”They have gone the furthest in motivating key suppliers.”
Initially, Apple created concern when Ma Jun’s Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs approached 29 western companies about the environment and long-term effects, but Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) failed to respond. They use the “long-term” policy as the reason to why they wouldn’t participate with those groups. The Institute wrote up numerous reports criticizing AAPL, which in turn agreed to meet up with the group to discuss the issues.
Apple Made an Agreement
Early last year, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) made an agreement to allow third-party environmental inspections in their factories from various groups including the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs.
Now AAPL has set an example for other tech companies as one of the leaders in environmental policies. Although the late Apple co-founder and former chief executive officer Steve Jobs refused to cooperate with environmental groups, current CEO Tim Cook is more than wiling to accommodate their concerns.
Adam Lashinsky for Fortune explained, “It is generally believed that Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has been traveling to China as a supply-chain executive for many years, has been supportive of Apple’s cooperation with environmental groups in a way that Jobs was not. Ma said he has not met with Cook but that he has held meetings with other high-level Apple executives.”
This is good news for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).
[via: AppleInsider]
