Ecological concerns regarding Apple suppliers raised again

Feb 20, 2012 16:10 GMT  ·  By
Waste air is bio-filtered through a bed of tree bark on the roof of a supplier facility in Shanghai
   Waste air is bio-filtered through a bed of tree bark on the roof of a supplier facility in Shanghai

A prominent Chinese environmental activist reveals that Apple has agreed to independent environmental audits of at least two of the its suppliers' factories in China.

In addition to criticism over worker conditions at Chinese iPhone assembly lines, Apple has recently attracted negative talks from environmental groups.

Ma Jun, founder of The Institute of Environmental and Public Affairs, told USA Today in a phone interview that Apple agreed to these independent audits in response to two reports documenting hazardous waste leaks and the use of toxic chemicals at a number of Apple suppliers.

The audits are scheduled to begin as soon as next month. Only two suppliers’ plants will be put under the microscope, but the audits might expand to others, said Ma.