In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad

Apple has mastered global manufacturing, developing an intricate supply chain of more than 150 companies, centered in China, that quickly churns out slick, innovative products, report Charles Duhigg and David Barboza for the New York Times. The system also relies on low wages, long hours and tough conditions. “Under-age workers have helped build Apple’s products, and the company’s suppliers have improperly disposed of hazardous waste and falsified records, according to company reports and advocacy groups,” Duhigg and Barboza report. As one occupational health official puts it, Western executives and their investors take advantage of conditions in countries that would be “morally repugnant” in their own. The article explains that Apple is a tough negotiator with its Asian suppliers, forcing them to compete and allowing the slimmest of profits: “So suppliers often try to cut corners.” One Apple executive concludes that, for now, Apple’s customers care more about low prices and trendy products than work conditions in overseas factories. – YaleGlobal