Apple has become one of the most proactive IT suppliers of all — a huge turnaround compared to its previous reputation of being the most uncooperative of electronic companies, a Chinese environmental activist, Ma Jun said during the Fortune Global Forum in China.
“They have gone the furthest in motivating key suppliers,” he said, noting that Apple has become even more aggressive than its IT-industry peers in adopting progressive environmental policies in China.
His praise of Apple’s efforts comes after his group, the Beijing-based Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs, was contacted by Apple in an effort for transparency. The full story: Apple initially rejected any cooperation with the group, but Ma Jun’s group published two reports critical of Apple, which fostered the company’s opening.
An interesting highlight of Jun’s report: the bulk of work started in 2012, after Steve Jobs’ death. It is widely believed that Tim Cook has been supportive of Apple’s cooperation with environmental groups in a different way to Jobs.
You may recall that the FLA conducted two audits through independent auditors in Apple’s supply chain, and the most recent report revealed that the company has implemented the majority of the much needed improvements to comply with the requirements imposed by the FLA. Ma Jun’s report comes after Huawei’s CEO praised Apple for its work with the Chinese supply chain.
