corporate social responsibility in the consumer electronics industry a case study of apple inc

Apple Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability

Image credit: Nong4/shutterstock.com

As the world’s leading innovator in technology, Apple Inc. is known for its personal computers, smartphones, tablets, software, digital media, and music platform. Headquartered in Cupertino, California, Apple holds the mantle for being the most valuable brand in the world today and the first publicly traded company to be valued at over $2 trillion. [1]

Founded in 1976 in a garage in Los Altos, California, Apple has one of the most fabled origin stories in business. What started out as a mission to change how people view computers has helped power the digital revolution. In 2020, Apple reported an annual global revenue of $274.5. With 511 retail stores spanning 25 countries and employing 147,000 people worldwide, Apple continues to exert immense influence over how technology is used and integrated into everyday life across the globe.  

Apple’s Corporate Social Responsibility Policy 

Given Apple’s notorious penchant for secrecy – both in the launching of new products and internal operations – how the company measures and assesses the impact of its Corporate Social Responsibility and Sustainability initiatives is not always apparent. However, despite Apple’s reputation for confidentiality, its CSR programs have expanded considerably over the last decade, with particular emphasis being placed on greener and more equitable business practices. [2]

I. Apple’s Green Business Practices

As one of the first global companies to achieve a net-zero carbon impact for corporate emissions, Apple announced plans in 2020 to extend this initiative across its entire supply chain by 2030. In line with this goal, all products sold will likewise be carbon neutral by the end of the decade. [3]

Apple’s environmental sustainability efforts also include improving the durability and longevity of its products, with a number of programs (launched in 2020) to refurbish and reuse Apple products. These initiatives include ensuring that 40% of all materials used in the production of its MacBook Air line are made from recycled sources.

Last year, Apple partnered with The Conservation Fund to protect 36,000 acres of sustainable forest in North Carolina and Maine and in 2021, announced a $200 million first-of-its-kind carbon removal initiative called Restore Fund. In collaboration with Conservation International and Goldman Sachs, this program will invest in forestry projects to remove at least 1 million metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year.

Apple’s environmental sustainability efforts also include reducing toxic materials such as mercury, PVC, and Beryllium in their product lines. These safer and stricter guidelines have earned the company an A+ rating from Mind the Store, a North American campaign that evaluates retailers on chemical safety. Apple was also the first consumer electronics company to receive the EPA Safer Choice Partner Award in 2020 for its work on using safer cleaning solvents.

Additionally, Apple focuses on reducing the overall environmental impact of its supply chain, particularly in its approach to sourcing raw minerals. In line with this priority, all Apple suppliers, smelters, and refiners of tin, tantalum, tungsten, gold, and cobalt are required to undergo third-party audits.

II. Apple’s Equality & Fairness Programs

In 2021, Apple announced a series of new CSR programs under its $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (REJI). These efforts focus on addressing systemic racism faced by communities of color by promoting educational support, including:

• A developer academy to support tech education in Detroit, Michigan.
• A $25 million learning and innovation center to support historically black colleges and universities
• Venture capital funding for minority entrepreneurs. [4]

In addition to these initiatives, Apple’s social responsibility programs continue to support diversity and professional growth throughout its workforce. Over the last 6 years, the number of employees from underrepresented communities (URCs) increased by 64%. The number of female employees worldwide also increased by 70% with an 85% increase in female employee leadership positions.

COVID-19 Relief 

In 2020, Apple donated over $15 million to help mitigate the impact COVID-19 has had on its workforce. It introduced a range of protective measures throughout its supply chain, including health screenings, social distancing protocols, increased cleaning procedures, as well as providing masks and sanitizers to employees. Apple also launched a number of apps to help keep people up-to-date about the pandemic and CDC guidelines for COVID-19 quarantining, testing, and tracing procedures. [5]

Apple’s Corporate Social Responsibility Issues 

Despite Apple’s investment in CSR, the company continues to face a number of labor and human rights allegations regarding its Chinese subcontractors. According to recent reports, Apple has been accused of being too slow in cutting ties with Chinese supplies known for violating the company’s CSR labor policies, particularly if doing so would negatively impact profits. [6]  

Apple has also been accused of lobbying the US Congress to alter legislation designed to limit goods made with forced labor from Muslim minority groups in Xinjiang, China. [7] In a March 2020 report issued by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, [8] Apple was cited for unfair labor practices in the Xijiang region of China. After an internal investigation with their Xijiang suppliers, Apple announced that no evidence of human rights violations had occurred, but that it will continue to monitor the situation.

In addition to these labor allegations, Apple faces a number of European lawsuits over its alleged obsolescence design for its Series 6 iPhone product line. [9] According to these claims, consumers were forced into buying new or updated phones earlier than necessary due to the company’s alleged manipulation of the batteries in its devices.

Apple’s Corporate Social Responsibility Report 

Access the Apple Inc. Corporate Social Responsibility 2019-20 Environmental Progress Report here . [10]

Answering calls to become “A Greener Apple,” the tech giant has taken positive steps over the last decade toward improving its social and environmental impact. As one of the most profitable and innovative companies today, Apple is uniquely positioned to lead the way toward creating a more sustainable, more equitable, and healthier planet. How well the company responds to issues pertaining to responsible corporate citizenship and sustainability will continue, no doubt, to be closely monitored by various consumer groups, environmental organizations, and governmental agencies around the globe.

Related Articles

• Nike Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability
• Amazon Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability
• IKEA Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Sustainability
• CSR vs. ESG: Making the Case for Measurable Sustainability
• A Brief History of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Examining Corporate Social Responsibility in the Industrial Space
• Staying Ethical with the Pyramid of Corporate Social Responsibility
• Can Corporate Social Responsibility Affect Your Company’s Stock Prices?

Adorno, José. “Apple Hit with New Lawsuit Over Alleged iPhone Planned Obsolescence.” 9 To 5 Mac, March 1, 2021. https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/01/apple-lawsuit-portugal-planned-obsolescence/ . Accessed 10 May 2021.

Apple.com. “2021 Apple Supplier Code of Conduct.” https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple-Supplier-Code-of-Conduct-and-Supplier-Responsibility-Standards.pdf . Accessed 1 May 2021.

Apple.com. “2021 Environmental Progress Report.” https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2021.pdf . Accessed 9 May 2021.

Apple Insider. “Coronavirus.”   https://appleinsider.com/inside/coronavirus . Accessed 29 April 2021.

Apple Newsroom. “Apple Commits to be 100 Percent Carbon Neutral for its Supply Chain and Products by 2030.” Apple Press Release, July 21, 2020. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/ . Accessed 10 May 2021.

Apple Newsroom. “Apple Launches Major New Racial Equity and Justice Initiative Projects to Challenge Systemic Racism, Advance Racial Equity Nationwide.”  Apple Press Release, January 13, 2021. https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/01/apple-launches-major-new-racial-equity-and-justice-initiative-projects-to-challenge-systemic-racism-advance-racial-equity-nationwide/ . Accessed April 29, 2021.

Murray, Poppy. “Is Apple Turning a Corner in its Social Responsibility?” https://blog.mywallst.com/is-apple-turning-a-corner-in-its-social-responsibility/ . Accessed 3 May 2021.

Schneider, Avie. “Apple Worth $2 Trillion – 1st American Company to Hit Milestone.” NPR Business, August 19, 2020. https://research-methodology.net/apple-inc-report-2-2/ . Accessed 2 May 2021.

Sonnemaker, Tyler. “Apple Knew a Supplier was Using Child Labor but Took 3 Years to Fully Cut Ties.” Insider, December 31, 2020. https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-knowingly-used-child-labor-supplier-3-years-cut-costs-2020-12 . Accessed 22 April 2021.

Swanson, Ana. “Nike and Coca-Cola Lobby Against Xinijang Forced Labor Bill.” The New York Times, November 29, 2020. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/business/economy/nike-coca-cola-xinjiang-forced-labor-bill.html . Accessed 7 May 2021.

Xu, Vicky Xiuzhong, Cave, Danielle, Leibold, James, Munro, Kelsey, and Ruser Nathan. “Uyghurs for Sale.” Australian Strategic Policy Institute. https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale . Accessed 12 May 2021.

[1] https://www.npr.org/2020/08/19/903858871/apple-is-1st-2-trillion-american-company

[2] https://blog.mywallst.com/is-apple-turning-a-corner-in-its-social-responsibility/

[3] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2020/07/apple-commits-to-be-100-percent-carbon-neutral-for-its-supply-chain-and-products-by-2030/

[4] https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2021/01/apple-launches-major-new-racial-equity-and-justice-initiative-projects-to-challenge-systemic-racism-advance-racial-equity-nationwide/

[5] https://appleinsider.com/inside/coronavirus

[6] https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-knowingly-used-child-labor-supplier-3-years-cut-costs-2020-12

[7] https://www.nytimes.com/2020/11/29/business/economy/nike-coca-cola-xinjiang-forced-labor-bill.html

[8] https://www.aspi.org.au/report/uyghurs-sale

[9] https://9to5mac.com/2021/03/01/apple-lawsuit-portugal-planned-obsolescence/

[10] https://www.apple.com/environment/pdf/Apple_Environmental_Progress_Report_2021.pdf

How CBD Gummies are Made

Stresses Produced by Shocks

Types of Diffraction Gratings and What They Are Used For

• About / Contact
• Privacy Policy
• Alphabetical List of Companies
• Business Analysis Topics

Apple’s Stakeholders, CSR & ESG Strategy

Apple’s strategy for CSR (corporate social responsibility), ESG (environmental, social, and governance), sustainability, and business ethics addresses stakeholders grouped according to shared interests and their significance to the information technology business. Apple operates in markets for information technology, consumer electronics, and online services. This diversity of business operations creates challenges for corporate citizenship affecting brand image, as well as the satisfaction of business goals based on Apple’s mission statement and vision statement . Stakeholders expect the multinational technology company to take a leading role in influencing corporate social responsibility trends in the global market.

Corporate citizenship affects Apple’s financial performance, in terms of how customers perceive the desirability of the company’s products based on quality, as well as business policies for sustainability, environmental impact, and material sourcing relating to CSR and ESG. Employees’ perception of the information technology business also influences organizational resilience. The business strengths and weaknesses described in the SWOT analysis of Apple Inc. affect some corporate social responsibility challenges linked to stakeholders’ interests.

Apple’s Stakeholders and Programs for CSR and ESG

The interests of Apple’s stakeholders guide the company’s strategic management, sustainable green operations, and CSR and ESG decisions for minimal negative net impact on the environment, communities, and other stakeholders. Stakeholders expect the company’s information technology products to benefit society. Given these factors in corporate social responsibility, Apple’s stakeholders are as follows:

• Apple’s employees
• Governments
• Communities

Customers . In devising corporate social responsibility strategies, Apple prioritizes customers as one of its top stakeholder groups. This stakeholder group is composed of individual and organizational buyers of the company’s consumer electronics and online services. Customers are interested in the effectiveness, quality, and reasonable pricing of Apple products, such as iPhones, Macs, and iPads. In the CSR and ESG context, customers are stakeholders who seek appropriate pricing and quality in brick-and-mortar and e-commerce operations. Apple’s marketing mix (4P) involves high price points based on the premium pricing strategy. Considering the quality and aesthetics of the company’s information technologies, this pricing strategy suits the market and associated corporate citizenship objectives for quality and pricing of the business.

Customers as stakeholders also expect privacy and security in using Apple’s products. Privacy and security have always been core factors in the company’s product design and development. Addressing these concerns in product development and corporate social responsibility, Apple applies best practices and principles, such as security frameworks used in online services and computer systems design.

In addition, Apple’s corporate citizenship strategy includes environmental policies and programs for recycling and responsible sourcing to address customers’ interests in business sustainability. In this way, the company’s strategic planning for corporate social responsibility accounts for the information-technology sustainability expectations of the stakeholder group of customers.

Apple’s Employees . Employees are major stakeholders in the iPhone maker’s approach to corporate social responsibility. This stakeholder group’s interests include proper compensation and career development, which are linked to Apple’s organizational structure (corporate structure) and initiatives for addressing human resource management (HRM) issues in multinational business. The company’s HRM policies and programs satisfy this stakeholder group through compensation packages that are competitive and attractive in Silicon Valley and beyond.

Employees are also interested in a work environment that supports proper work-life balance, despite the technology company’s rigid human resource management requirements. This work-life balance aspect of corporate social responsibility is partly addressed through Apple’s organizational culture (corporate culture) . For example, the IT and consumer electronics company’s culture encourages excellent work performance, while supporting job flexibility and services for family-related matters, such as maternity needs. To partly satisfy this aspect of corporate citizenship, Apple’s human resource management also involves policies and strategies for preventing employee burnout, which can negatively affect this stakeholder group’s perception of the business and its CSR and ESG status.

Investors . Apple’s investors are stakeholders interested in maximizing the returns on their investments. The company addresses this ESG concern through excellent financial performance and business governance supported through profitable consumer electronics and online services.  Apple’s competitive strategy and growth strategies ensure business competitiveness and profitability. Other strategies, policies, and programs touch on corporate citizenship challenges in the industry, as a way of enabling the information technology firm to maintain a desirable ESG and CSR status for its investors.

Even though investors are stakeholders focused on financial performance, Apple’s sustainability and environmental or ecological programs also matter. In corporate social responsibility, sustainable business practices make the iPhone company more attractive to customers and business partners. This factor contributes to Apple’s competitiveness against other information technology and consumer electronics firms, such as Google (Alphabet) , Samsung , Microsoft , and Sony , as well as companies that compete with Apple TV Plus video-streaming services, like Disney , Netflix , Amazon , and Facebook (Meta) . IBM and Intel , which have operations in computer technology, artificial intelligence, and related services, also influence Apple’s policies and programs for CSR, ESG, sustainability, and corporate citizenship. These companies challenge Apple’s dominance in the market and impose high standards in CSR, ESG, and corporate citizenship. Thus, satisfying the interests of investors as a stakeholder group involves initiatives and strategies for competitiveness and profitability, along with the satisfaction of corporate social responsibilities on a par with other multinational technology firms.

Governments . Governments are stakeholders that require Apple’s regulatory compliance. Different governments have different sets of regulations, policies, and programs that apply to the CSR and ESG of information technology and online service businesses. The PESTEL/PESTLE analysis of Apple Inc. shows that governments impose new laws and regulations, such as laws for reduced ecological impact and for enhanced information privacy and security. Thus, this stakeholder group shapes how information technology firms become sustainable corporate citizens through proper governance.

Apple maintains regulatory and legal compliance, but new laws or regulations occasionally challenge the company’s governance and business practices. For example, new and emerging right-to-repair regulations affect the company’s strategy of exclusivity in repairing and servicing its consumer electronics. Strategic responses to these challenges impact Apple’s performance for CSR and ESG goals.

Suppliers . This stakeholder group is interested in their profitability while doing business with Apple. Suppliers’ interests also include cooperation with the iPhone company, in terms of employment practices. Such cooperation is based on Apple’s corporate citizenship efforts through its Supplier Code of Conduct, which influences decisions in doing business with firms in the supply chain. Part of the technology company’s policy is to terminate business relations with suppliers that continue to fail or refuse to satisfy this Code of Conduct.

Apple’s CSR and ESG strategy imposes rules on this stakeholder group, while supporting mutually beneficial business relations with suppliers of consumer electronic components and other materials. This corporate social responsibility strategy helps manage the bargaining power of suppliers described in the Five Forces analysis of Apple Inc . To provide support for this stakeholder group, the company has approaches for streamlining suppliers’ operations. For example, Apple’s operations management approach to this area of corporate social responsibility involves information and communication technologies that inform about trends in supply requirements, to help suppliers optimize their operations and make them more efficient, green, and sustainable.

Communities . Communities are concerned with the socioeconomic and ecological impacts of Apple’s products. These stakeholders include people in neighborhoods and regions, and interest-based advocacy organizations, like non-government organizations for business ethics, sustainability, green operations, and environmental protection against electronic waste. In the corporate social responsibility context, communities require or expect socioeconomic and environmental benefits from Apple. The company’s Employee Giving program and Strengthen Local Communities (SLC) grant program directly address these CSR concerns. Through such philanthropic endeavors, Apple enhances its corporate citizenship status and makes its online services and consumer electronics more ethical, green, and desirable.

Does Apple’s CSR & ESG Performance Satisfy Stakeholder Interests?

The interests of stakeholders are addressed through Apple’s strategy for CSR and ESG goals. The company’s CSR initiatives maintain a balance between the financial objectives and purpose of the business, and the objectives of various groups that the technology business affects. Considering its programs and progress, Apple’s CSR and ESG strategy satisfies stakeholders’ interests. However, the technology business has opportunities for enhancing its CSR and ESG performance, such as in policies for suppliers’ employment practices. Improvements in this area can strengthen Apple’s corporate social responsibility and business ethics standing, while also helping suppliers strengthen their own sustainability and corporate citizenship efforts. Moreover, the company can improve the sustainability of products and related services to further minimize environmental impact, particularly in terms of e-waste.

• Across the globe, Apple and its teams find new ways to give .
• Apple Inc. – Environmental Social Governance .
• Apple Inc. – Form 10-K .
• Apple Inc. – Supplier Responsibility .
• Fatima, T., & Elbanna, S. (2023). Corporate social responsibility (CSR) implementation: A review and a research agenda towards an integrative framework. Journal of Business Ethics, 183 (1), 105-121.
• Hristov, I., & Appolloni, A. (2022). Stakeholders’ engagement in the business strategy as a key driver to increase companies’ performance: Evidence from managerial and stakeholders’ practices. Business Strategy and the Environment, 31 (4), 1488-1503.
• Homer, S. T. (2022). Perceived corporate citizenship: A scale development and validation study adopting a bottom-up approach. Quality & Quantity, 56 (3), 1435-1461.
• Onkila, T., & Sarna, B. (2022). A systematic literature review on employee relations with CSR: State of art and future research agenda. Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 29 (2), 435-447.
• Park, J. G., Park, K., Noh, H., & Kim, Y. G. (2023). Characterization of CSR, ESG, and corporate citizenship through a text mining-based review of literature. Sustainability, 15 (5), 3892.
• U.S. Department of Commerce – International Trade Administration – Software and Information Technology Industry .
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency – Cleaning Up Electronic Waste (E-Waste) .
• Copyright by Panmore Institute - All rights reserved.
• This article may not be reproduced, distributed, or mirrored without written permission from Panmore Institute and its author/s.
• Educators, Researchers, and Students: You are permitted to quote or paraphrase parts of this article (not the entire article) for educational or research purposes, as long as the article is properly cited and referenced together with its URL/link.

Case Study: Apple Inc. (China)

The electronics industry is one of the largest sectors in the global economy and some experts estimate that the sector employs more workers and create more revenue than any other industry in the world. The US consumer electronics industry alone is worth more than $211 billion, and technology and electronics companies top the list of Forbes’ ranking of the world’s most valuable brands. It is an industry that is both immensely profitable and harshly exploitative, and nowhere is this more evident than in the supply chain of Apple Inc. In 2017, the company was worth an estimated $170 billion, making it the world’s most valuable brand.

Foxconn, one of the Apple’s largest suppliers, installed nets after a spate of suicides at its factories in China. Credit: Jason Lee, Reuters.

Despite the vast sums of money at the top of Apple’s supply chain, the workers that make its products face a myriad of abuses: poverty wages, excessive and unpaid overtime well in excess of legal limits, long-term exposure to toxic chemicals without proper protective equipment, unsafe work environments including blocked and locked exits, intense psychological pressure, and the use of forced student labor. The long hours, extremely low pay, and high-pressure work environment led to a spate of suicides, beginning in 2010, by workers at Foxconn, one of Apple’s most important suppliers. In the span of a year, there were at least 18 attempted suicides, resulting in at least 14 deaths. (Foxconn’s shockingly cruel solution to this problem was to install nets around its buildings to prevent workers from jumping, demonstrating just how little the manufacturer and its customers cared about the conditions that workers faced). Between 2010 and 2012, another six workers were killed in explosions at iPad factories. According to reporting by the New York Times, Apple had been warned about the dangerous conditions inside at least one of the factories, but did nothing to prevent the deadly blast.

Amidst mounting pressure from consumers to address the problems in its supply chain, Apple joined the Fair Labor Association (FLA), a multi stakeholder initiative (MSI) that was originally founded to monitor conditions in the apparel industry but that has since expanded to other sectors, including footwear, sporting goods and agriculture. Although the FLA describes itself as an independent monitoring body, member companies play a significant role in the organization’s governance and its funding. As a result, the FLA has an abysmal track record when it comes to improving conditions in the supply chain of its member companies and Apple was no exception. Mere days after beginning its inspection of Apple’s largest supplier, Foxconn, the president of the FLA declared that the “facilities are first-class” and “Foxconn is really not a sweatshop.” Recall that Foxconn is the same supplier in which more than a dozen workers committed suicide just two years earlier, and where three workers had been killed in a factory explosion the prior year.

Six weeks after Apple announced that the FLA would be investigating its supply chain, the FLA published a report detailing a number of egregious abuses, many of which were also violations of Chinese law. It’s worth noting here that virtually all of these findings had previously been reported by independent investigators that Apple had simply chosen to ignore. Although Apple, Foxconn and the FLA publicly committed to fixing the violations, outside assessments showed little improvement. An independent evaluation of the FLA’s own reporting showed the following:

• Apple and its suppliers failed to implement changes to workers’ pay, including compensation for unpaid overtime and adoption of a wage that would cover workers’ basic needs. During the same time period, Apple reported earning nearly $50 billion in profits;
• Despite promises to the contrary, workers in Apple’s supply chain in China continued to work overtime hours in violation of legal limits;
• The promise to “establish a genuine voice for workers” was never fulfilled;
• Although Apple promised that “the FLA’s assessment will cover facilities where more than 90 percent of Apple products are assembled,” the FLA’s reporting covered less than 20% of workers in Apple’s supply chain; and
• Outside data demonstrated that serious labor rights abuses were continuing throughout the company’s supply chain.

It should come as no surprise that workers benefitted very little from Apple’s participation in the FLA. As is frequently the case with a brand’s decision to join an MSI, Apple approached the FLA not out of a genuine concern for the workers’ in its supply chain (Apple had known about egregious abuses at its factories for years), but out of a desire to repair the damage being done to its brand, the most valuable in the world. In exchange for its less-than-critical reporting, the FLA received a sizable fee. Unfortunately, this quid-pro-quo arrangement is all too common in the world of MSI’s, where, absent serious and meaningful changes to structure, governance, enforcement and funding, respect for workers’ rights will always be an afterthought instead of a reality.

In recent years, public attention has waned but workers continue to report serious human rights abuses in Apple’s supply chain. See, for example, the following reports: Apple still has miles to go despite the recent toxins ban , Apple making big profits but Chinese workers’ wages on the slide , and Blood and Sweat Behind the Screen of iPhones – Another Investigative Report on Apple’s Largest Display Screen Supplier .

Stay Connected

• ZIP / Postal Code
• Email This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

• You are in:

Apple has long been the target of numerous campaigns due to workers' rights issues at its supplier factories.

But the multi-billion pound tech giant has also been found wanting in other areas.

Is Apple ethical?

Our research highlights several ethical issues with Apple, including climate change, environmental reporting, habitats & resources, pollution and toxics, arms & military supply, human rights, workers' rights, supply chain management, irresponsible marketing, anti-social finance, and political activities. 

Below we outline of some of these issues. To see the full detailed stories, and Apple's overall ethical rating, please sign in or subscribe .

In December 2019 a Guardian article named Apple as defendants in a lawsuit filed in Washington DC by human rights firm International Rights Advocates on behalf of 14 parents and children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Other defendants in this lawsuit included Google, Dell, Microsoft and Tesla.

Several families were seeking damages and compensation for the death or serious injury of children who they claim were working in cobalt mines in Apple's supply chain.

Also in 2019 the Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) Corporate Accountability Index gave Apple a score of just 46% . The report rated companies on "commitments and policies, based on international human rights standards." Apple was said to have scored poorly, "due to its lack of governance and oversight over human rights risks, and also lack of clear disclosure of policies affecting users’ freedom of expression."

Environment

Apple received Ethical Consumer's worst rating for environmental reporting in 2019. Whilst the information in their 2019 Environmental Responsibility report covered Apple's main environmental impacts, including conflict minerals, it included only one dated and quantified future environmental target:

“By 2020, Apple and our suppliers will generate or procure at least 4 gigawatts of clean energy in our supply chain.”

Because Apple lacked a second future-dated, quantified target we deducted a mark in the Environmental Reporting category.

Apple's 2019 Environmental Responsibility Report included sections on the use of potentially hazardous chemicals such as PVC, BFR and phthalates.

It claimed that all of its newer products were BFR and PVC free, and included a table that listed the dates at which these substances has been phased out of specific parts of products and packaging. Apple commented that "Apple products are free of PVC and phthalates with the exception of power cords in India, Thailand, and South Korea, where we continue to seek government approval for our PVC and phthalates replacement." As the company had already achieved the elimination of PVC, BFR and phthalates from its products except in some exceptional cases, it received Ethical Consumer’s best rating for its pollution and toxics policy.

There was third party verification by Bureau Veritas (BV) and of product-related carbon footprint by Fraunhofer. 

In 2018, Apple was fined £10 million by the Italian authorities for ‘planned obsolescence’ built into their smartphones. Furthermore in the US, Apple lobbied a right to repair bill which helped to cause its being pulled. As a result, Apple can be seen as part of the problem of toxic e-waste .

In July 2019 Ethical Consumer awarded Apple a worst mark for strategies that were likely to be used to avoid tax. This was because the family tree for Apple Inc on  www.hoovers.com  and showed that the company had subsidiaries in Ireland, the Netherlands, and Singapore. 

These were jurisdictions which were considered by Ethical Consumer to be tax havens and were therefore considered to be at high risk of being used for tax avoidance purposes.

Upon further investigation, Ethical Consumer found a statement given by Apple that provided a narrative explanation for why the company had subsidiaries in Ireland. This wasn't strong enough to affect our decision to give Apple a worst rating for tax avoidance, especially given that we found no country-by-country financial information or reporting (CBCR), nor a clear public tax statement confirming that it was this company’s policy not to engage in tax avoidance activity or to use tax havens for tax avoidance purposes. Apple is one of the silicon six, which has been revealed to have a tax gap of $100 billion so far this decade .

As a result, Apple Inc lost a whole mark in our tax avoidance category.

Company information

Company address:.

• Annual revenue: £318,000,000,000
• Website: https://investor.apple.com

Contact Apple

Tweet Apple to let them know what you think of their ethics.

• Tweet a positive message
• Tweet a negative message
• Send a positive email
• Send a negative email

Associated brands

Related product guides.

• Desktop computers
• Ethical Laptops
• Ethical Mobile Phones
• Tablets and e-readers
• Ethical Bookshops
• Email Providers
• Video Conferencing

Ownership structure

Ethical stories, pre 2024 ratings, you are missing out.

The stories for this company are only available to subscribers.

To access all of our tools and data - and get the Ethical Consumer print magazine - start your subscription today.

• DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3520429
• Corpus ID: 232897681

Corporate Social Responsibility at Apple

• Chenoy Ceil
• Published 3 July 2018
• Business, Law
• PSN: Multi-National Corporations (MNCs) (International) (Topic)

One Citation

Corporate community involvement. effect on employee outcomes, 11 references, the meaning of corporate social responsibility: the vision of four nations.

• Highly Influential

Stakeholder Theory and "The Corporate Objective Revisited"

Strategic corporate social responsibility, empowering organizations through corporate social responsibility, outsourcing and corporate social responsibility: apple in china, most cited business ethics publications: mapping the intellectual structure of business ethics studies in 2001–2008, strategic management: a stakeholder approach, how do you measure corporate citizenship, related papers.

Showing 1 through 3 of 0 Related Papers

Corporate Social Responsibility at Apple

9 Pages Posted: 10 Feb 2020

Chenoy Ceil

Independent

Date Written: July 3, 2018

This paper critically analyzes the Corporate Social Responsibility policies practiced by Apple, Inc. and reflects upon how and why the CSR initiatives have evolved at Apple over the years. CSR demands an understanding in the field of business economics. However, one of the aspects of CSR places responsibility on corporations to satisfy societal demand. Another aspect of CSR sees it as the ethical responsibility of corporations to act in the interest of society. All these aspects can be put under the framework of four faces: economic, legal, ethical and philanthropic.

Keywords: chenoy ceil, consult corporates, social responsibility, business economics, responsibility of corporation

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

Chenoy Ceil (Contact Author)

Independent ( email ), do you have a job opening that you would like to promote on ssrn, paper statistics, related ejournals, corporate governance & economics ejournal.

Subscribe to this fee journal for more curated articles on this topic

Corporate Governance: Social Responsibility & Social Impact eJournal

Corporate social responsibility (csr) ejournal, csr & management practice ejournal, sustainability at work ejournal, international political economy: investment & finance ejournal.

• Harvard Business School →
• Faculty & Research →
• HBS Case Collection

Apple Inc. in 2020

• Format: Print
• | Language: English
• | Pages: 31

About The Author

David B. Yoffie

Related work.

• December 2020
• Faculty Research
• January 2022

Apple Inc. in 2020 – Select Market Data

• Apple Inc. in 2020  By: David B. Yoffie
• Apple Inc. in 2020 – Select Market Data  By: David B. Yoffie

• Engineering & Technology
• Industrial Engineering
• Supply Chain Management

Corporate Social Responsibility in the Consumer Electronics Industry

Related documents.

Add this document to collection(s)

You can add this document to your study collection(s)

Add this document to saved

You can add this document to your saved list

Suggest us how to improve StudyLib

(For complaints, use another form )

Input it if you want to receive answer