Current trends are actively promoting an emphasis on environmental and social matters over the overproduction and exploitation of cheap labor. Many modern companies, including Apple, are diligently promoting their belonging to this movement. However, Apple has been repeatedly convicted of exploiting cheap labor, violating its environmentally friendly activities, speculating repaired models on foreign markets, and providing inaccurate information regarding device productivity.
Today’s world and product market is steadily driving the trend towards sustainability, recyclability, and a decrease in carbon emissions. However, Apple’s policy of disproportionately increasing prices and packaging spare parts in separate cartons and plastic boxes makes users wonder about its true motives. At the presentation of the iPhone 12, the speaker mentioned that now the headphones and power supply will go separately from the phone (Zhang, 2018). This case will make people spend more finances on more boxes, which automatically means more waste and a threat to the environment. This approach definitely cannot be called environmentally friendly, but rather the opposite.
The development of any gadget requires an extensive metal set mined by workers from all over the world. The iPhone is made up of 30 components, including rare metals like gold, tantalum, tungsten, or tin. Last year Apple published a procurement report in which it indicated all the intermediaries available. Apple mentioned companies like OMSA and EM Vinto, based in Bolivia, which notably employ cheap labor in the dangerous mountains (Zhang, 2018). UNESCO has long warned about the severe danger of mining processes and the potential collision in this place. However, the locals do not know about it and continue to take even children for additional financial support (Zhang, 2018). In this case, the company deliberately exposes people to danger due to more inexpensive metals for products.
In addition to the above factors, the company deliberately overestimates the operating time of some iPhone prototypes. Experts analyzed nine different models and concluded that all smartphones work less productive by 18-51% (Your iPhone’s battery life isn’t as long as Apple says it is, according to a new report, 2019). Devices that have been refurbished under warranty are often sent to developing markets in countries like India and Russia (Zhang, 2018). Buyers do not know the origin of these products and are willing to pay a lower price. Such a policy undermines the company’s reputation and creates distrust.
Any modern large company manages to declare its commitment to purely natural ways of working, but any more in-depth analysis can reveal ambiguity and even doubt about its claims. Sustainable development practices should include attention to both the environment and the social aspects of workers and users. The Apple company’s methods raise some doubts about its inner motives and perspectives.
References
Zhang, Q. (2018). Research on Apple Inc’s current developing conditions. Open Journal of Business and Management Strategies, 6(1), 39–46.
Your iPhone’s battery life isn’t as long as Apple says it is, according to a new report. (2019). INSIDER. Web.