Apple “Deeply Offended” by BBC Investigation

BBC reported on poor conditions for workers contributing to Apple products in Asia. Apple responded with a lengthy response on how it strives to improve labor conditions. The BBC Panorama report covered long hours for workers in China as well as illegal mining involving children in Indonesia. “"After years of slow progress and industry excuses, Apple decided to attack the problem by tracking the weekly hours of over one million workers, driving corrective actions with our suppliers and publishing the results on our website monthly - something no other company had ever done,” wrote an Apple senior vice president of operations. “This year, our suppliers have achieved an average of 93% compliance with our 60-hour limit.” The company also insisted that Apple staff are “trained to speak up when they see safety risks or mistreatment” and that a collective approach is required for products with so many components and an extensive supply chain. - YaleGlobal