Apple

Is Apple ethical and sustainable?

Apple is a brand of computer that appears in The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical PCs, Laptops and Tablets Ratings Table. Although Apple currently ranks under our Ethical Benchmark, we hope to see the brand make progress in the future.

What does Apple do?

Previously known as Apple Computer, Inc., Apple Inc. is a multinational company that produces consumer devices, desktop computers, servers, and computer software in addition to distributing digital media. The corporation owns the retail chain known as Apple Stores. Apple’s main product categories are the iPhone cell phone, iPad tablet, and Macintosh line of computers and electronics.

To commercialise Wozniak’s Apple I desktop, Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple Computer Co. on April 1, 1976. Jobs and Wozniak officially incorporated the business in Cupertino, California, on January 3, 1977.

For more than three decades, Apple Computer produced largely personal computers, such as the Apple II, Macintosh, and Power Mac series, but in the 1990s, it struggled with sluggish sales and a small market share.

After Apple acquired his startup NeXT in 1997, Jobs, who had been sacked from the business in 1985, made a comeback. He was chosen to serve as the company’s interim CEO the following year; the job was ultimately made permanent. With the release of the first iMac in 1998, Jobs later introduced new business values of recognisable products and straightforward design.

For which criteria does Apple perform poorly?

Apple was marked down under our criteria for Human Rights (+), Political Donations, and Other Criticisms. The low score for Human Rights and Other Criticisms is due to the fact that Apple has been accused of numerous unethical practices. This includes allegations of worker exploitation, forced labour, sourcing conflict minerals, breaching competition laws, tax avoidance and many more.

In what areas does Apple score well for its ethics?

The brand received a top rating for Animal Welfare, as it has not been subject to any recent allegations of animal abuse.

How can Apple brand improve its Ethical Rating?

The Good Shopping Guide score results from multiple ethical criteria, and Apple’s score has been calculated from these criteria. To reach our minimum Ethical Benchmark and qualify for Ethical Accreditation, Apple has some issues to resolve, the largest of these issues being its performance in the Human Rights and Other Criticisms categories.

If you work for or with a PC, Laptop, or Tablet brand that wants to improve its ethics and sustainability or that already has effective CSR or ESG initiatives, why not take a look at The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation?

For more information on what The Good Shopping Guide can do for you, get in touch with us, or fill out our form for a quick ethical assessment. Or, you can begin the journey by completing our Ethical Accreditation application. Discover why hundreds of companies have opted to obtain The Good Shopping Guide’s Ethical Accreditation by reading our Benefits of Ethical Accreditation page.