Apple has released its 2013 Supplier Responsibility Progress Report, detailing audits the company has made within its supply chain. The company conducted 393 audits of its own, a 72 percent increase over 2011. Apple also notes it achieved “an average of 92 percent compliance with a maximum 60-hour work week.” The company is now tracking more than one million workers weekly.
According to Apple, a January audit of a supplier revealed 74 cases of workers under 16 — Apple then terminated its relationship with the supplier. The company also discovered that a labor agency conspired to forge age verification documents. Apple alerted provincial governments to the agency’s action, and the agency “had its business license suspended and was fined.” The full report is in PDF form on Apple’s website.
