Apple takes great care to design environmentally sound products.
And we require our suppliers to use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever those products are made.
This is the final stage in the plant’s comprehensive system for managing air emissions.
Apple’s commitment to environmental responsibility.
Apple strives to minimize the environmental impact of our products. We were the first company to report on our entire carbon footprint, and we remain one of a very few companies to do so. We manage our overall footprint not only by comprehensively measuring and reporting the impact of our own operations and product development but by working with our suppliers to help them minimize theirs. Learn more about Apple and the environment
Hazardous substance management.
We’ve worked hard to eliminate many harmful substances from our products so they never even enter our manufacturing facilities. And we require our suppliers to be just as diligent about hazardous materials in their facilities. Suppliers must comply with the most recent version of Apple’s Regulated Substances Specification and with any applicable laws and regulations prohibiting or restricting the use or handling of specific substances. They must identify and manage substances that pose a hazard to the environment. They must also comply with labeling laws and regulations for safe handling, transport, recycling, reuse, and disposal. In 2011, in addition to enforcing the standards in our Supplier Code of Conduct, we audited wastewater treatment and disposal, hazardous waste disposal, and noise at 14 sites where problems had been reported.
Air emissions management.
Our Supplier Code of Conduct requires facilities to characterize, monitor, control, and treat air emissions of volatile organic chemicals, aerosols, corrosives, particulates, ozone-depleting chemicals, and combustion by-products generated from operations — as required by applicable laws and regulations — before discharge. In 2011, we discovered facilities that did not inspect discharges regularly to ensure compliance with the law or that used air emission outlets that were not clearly marked.
Specialized environmental audits.
In 2011, in addition to our standard audits, Apple conducted specialized environmental audits to address concerns about certain suppliers. We engaged globally recognized environmental engineering experts to conduct focused audits at 14 facilities. Each of these audits included onsite inspections of wastewater treatment facilities, air emissions handling, solid waste disposal, and noise abatement systems — both at the facility and in the surrounding areas. The audits also included interviews with local residents. The auditing team reviewed all documentation regarding wastewater, air emissions, and noise monitoring, as well as waste removal and disposal documentation from the past three years.
We recognize that much work remains to be done, and we are committed to the following actions toward environmental responsibility in the coming year:
- We are expanding the number of specialized environmental audits throughout our supply chain, focusing first on highest-risk segments such as printed circuit board manufacturers.
- We are working with both government and nongovernment organizations to drive improvements in environmental practices throughout our supply chain.
- We are implementing a multilevel training program to increase awareness about environmental issues among employees and suppliers.