Jew World Order

Activists hand delivered petitions with a quarter of a million signatures to Apple stores around the world today, including the Sydney flagship store, reiterating their plea for the company to adopt more ethical standards for the creation of its popular products.

A wheelbarrow full of petitions arrives at the Sydney Apple store.
(Credit: Luke Hopewell/ZDNet Australia)

The activists, organised by watchdog groups SumOfUs and Change.org, are calling for Apple to pressure its suppliers — particularly the ones in China — to improve the working conditions and follow the same standards that it observes in the US. That includes being more transparent about its vendors, and allowing third parties to audit the quality of the work environment.

Apple has faced increasing pressure from consumer groups after a New York Times article last month raked Apple over the coals for its poor record of labour and safety issues at its supplier facilities, as well its cut-throat business practices that prohibit those manufacturers from making improvements. Change.org and SumOfUs were able to collect 250,000 signatures after starting the petition late last month.

Apple, for its part, says it already does a lot to help with working conditions abroad.

“We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain,” said an Apple representative. “We insist that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made. Our suppliers must live up to these requirements if they want to keep doing business with Apple.”

Last year, the company conducted 229 audits at supplier facilities, and it has set up a site to report on the working conditions of its suppliers.

The crowd of actual activists today was small, with a little more than a dozen supporters — far outstripped by the mass of media on the scene. The delivery, however, was part of a global effort that included petitions sent to stores in Bangalore, London and Sydney. Activists are scheduled to deliver petitions to the San Francisco flagship store later today, according to Sarah Ryan, an organiser for Change.org.

Ryan downplayed the smaller crowd, noting that the intent was to hand deliver the petitions. Ryan appeared with Change.org director Shelby Knox, who was dressed as an “ethical iPhone”, along with a number of other activists, and walked up the steps to the store flanked by a throng of photographers and reporters. Once at the entrance, Ryan delivered the box of petitions to an Apple employee, who accepted the box but declined to comment.

“Apple was definitely ready for us,” Ryan said from San Francisco. “They were very polite. Hopefully, they understand the magnitude of the signatures.

Andrew Mason pushes the petition barrow, dressed as an ethical iPhone.
(Credit: Luke Hopewell/ZDNet Australia)

The groups aren’t seeking a boycott of Apple products; they merely want the company to change its views on its suppliers and working conditions overseas. Ryan said that the group will call for a boycott if Apple has the option to improve conditions but opts to focus on profitability instead.

Ryan acknowledged that Apple isn’t the only company to use suppliers with substandard working conditions, but said that as a leader in the industry, Apple should lead the charge for change.

“We’re asking them to take their motto ‘Think different’ and apply it to other areas besides technology,” she said.

Knox, who drew the most attention for her outfit, said she wants to put more public pressure on Apple.

Mike Daisey, a monologist who wrote his one-man show “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs”, noted that Apple’s brand could stand to take a hit if the company doesn’t do anything. He noted that the same dilemma had previously hit Nike — a brand, he said, that still prompts thoughts of sweatshops.

“You can quickly tarnish that brand,” he said.

Daisey told ZDNet Australia that a first-hand trip to Foxconn saw him completely re-evaluate the brand he knew and loved, and compelled him to write the monologue. Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak was reportedly moved to tears by Daisey’s words.

Sydney protesters arrived for the official handover at 8am AEDST this morning, with one dressed as an ethical iPhone, pushing a wheelbarrow filled with 250,000 petitions.

Luke Hopewell and Josh Lowensohn contributed to this article.

Via CNET