Apple has released its 2019 Supplier Responsibility Report detailing the results of its efforts to ensure suppliers meet the company's standards.

“In everything we do, people come first,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s chief operating officer. “We are constantly raising the bar for ourselves and our suppliers because we are committed to the people who make our products possible as well as the planet we all share. This year, we’re proud to give more people an opportunity to advance their education. Working alongside our suppliers, we’re challenging ourselves to find new ways to keep our planet healthy for future generations. Our goal has always been not just to drive progress in our supply chain, but to drive meaningful change across the industry.”

We care deeply about the people who build our products, and the planet we all share. So we hold ourselves and our suppliers to the highest standards to ensure everyone is treated with dignity and respect. And we share our work openly so others can follow our lead.

We continuously challenge ourselves to expand our education programs and provide skill-building opportunities that meet the needs of those in our supply chain. Since 2008, over 3.6 million supply chain employees have participated in education programming. We’ve implemented programs that help supplier employees learn new skills, earn degrees, and expand their career options. We also provide health and wellness education to give people the tools to take charge of their well-being.

Every year, we find new ways to partner with our suppliers to protect the planet. In 2018, our suppliers achieved UL Zero Waste certification for all final assembly test and packaging facilities across iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, AirPods, and HomePod. Our suppliers conserved 7.6 billion gallons of freshwater, and 100 percent of our final assembly sites adopted safer, greener cleaners in their manufacturing processes.

Driving the highest standards in the world means continuously raising them, and helping our suppliers meet them. In 2018, we completed 770 Apple-managed supplier assessments covering manufacturing facilities, logistics and repair centers, and contact center facilities. In addition, 279 third-party mineral smelter and refiner audits were conducted.

We believe that if we’re not finding areas to improve, we’re not looking hard enough. If we discover that standards aren’t being met, we work side by side with suppliers to help them improve. If a supplier is unwilling or unable to meet our requirements, we end our business relationship with them. Through capability building and partnership, we not only improve our suppliers’ performance in our supply chain, but beyond it as well.

Our 2019 Annual Progress Report outlines the results of our efforts in 2018.

You can download the full report from this link!