Apple tries to clean up their act
Apple has recently revealed its list of global suppliers for the first time, vowing to deal with worker abuses and deflect criticism of its ignorance to poor working conditions in a mostly Asian supply chain.
Unveiling the names of the 156 companies of the company’s supply chain was an unusual move for Apple, which is known to be notoriously secretive.
Its recent supply chain audit also revealed that only 38% of the company’s suppliers adhered to its internal standard of a 60-hour, 6-day work week.
Ishan Palit, CEO of the product services division at TÜV SÜD, a provider of testing, inspection and certification services, shared that this revelation demonstrated the “severity and prevalence of inhumane working conditions within the global supply chains and the drastic requirement for immediate action”.
Yet, this move by Apple also placed the spotlight on the challenges of securing supply chain integrity, recognising that there’s a need to take control.
So what are some lessons that the supply chain industry can learn from this unprecedented move by Apple?
According to Palit “Standards such as SA8000® and BSCI have developed into effective tools to address these issues in a balanced and human manner, allowing organisations to educate the young workers and re-integrate them into society,” he said.
Palit also added that putting in place such a standard to conduct on-site audits to ensure compliance from factories is necessary. Improvements and corrections can then be identified and put into practice, which brings social, branding, productivity and risk management benefits.
“For example, it ensures workers’ health and safety, which helps boosts production efficiency, facilitates further penetration into international markets, and protects brands against the often irreparable consequences of a scandal,” he said.