Apple may think the spotlight has faded from the horrendous working conditions at the factories that make iPhones, iPads, and other iGadgets, but we have news for them: We are not going to forget that the workers who make Apple products continue to be treated horrendously.
Yes, Apple paid the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to release a report on working conditions in the factories, and we’re cautiously optimistic that the report will spur real change. But the fact remains that since the FLA report was released, there has been no documentation of measurable improvements in working conditions in the factories in Apple’s Chinese supply chain.
That’s why this week we’re launching EthicaliPhone.org, a new website as slick as the products it targets. This site is our new headquarters for tracking Apple's commitment to its promises, and has already received coverage from CBS News and Business Insider. It's funded in part by contributions from members like you, so check it out and share it with your friends to help spread the word.
Apple will only act if it believes its customers honestly care about the issue. So for now, the single most effective thing you can do to affect the working conditions in electronics factories in China is to share this site with all of your friends and make sure they know where their iGadgets are coming from. We’ll help get the word out even further by buying ads on Facebook and iAd, Apple’s in-app advertising service, targeted specifically to people who are likely to buy iPhones in the future.
Our site is launching this week to mark a tragic anniversary. It’s been one year since an explosion rocked an iPad factory in Chengdu, China, killing two people and injuring eighteen more. That explosion set off a chain of events that would turn attention to the human cost of the slick devices we rely on every day.
As the largest company in the world, Apple has the cash, the centralized supply chain, and the organizational heft to push the Chinese manufacturing industry to change its practices. If Apple acts, it could mean a sea change for the entire industry, with workers’ rights finally being considered as important as production quotas across the electronics manufacturing sector. The fact is, no other company can lead like Apple can.
It took months of sustained pressure from conscientious consumers like you before Apple even agreed to make serious changes to the way it treated the workers in its Chinese supply chain. Now it’s time to make sure Apple actually keeps its commitments.
In solidarity,
Taren, Kaytee, Emma, Claiborne and the rest of the team
