Apple Inc. formerly Apple Computer, Inc. is an American multinational corporation that designs and sells consumer electronics, computer software, and personal computers. The company’s best-known hardware products are the Macintosh line of computers, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.
Last week in a very interesting article on HBR Blog, Prof. Gregory Unruh of Harvard offered the explanation that Apple has a reactive CSR strategy, which he described as the “Little Dutch Boy” Strategy. In other words, Apple bothers to act only when there’s a complaint or protest against the company, hoping like the little Dutch boy that poking its fingers in the holes in a dyke will stem the flow and let the company go back to concentrate on designing and selling great products. While Prof. Unruh is certainly right about Apple’s reactive strategy, I believe the CSR problems of Apple go beyond its reactive strategy. Looking at the main issues Apple has been struggling with in the last couple of years, I identified 5 main problems that cause Apple to fail time and again when it comes to CSR
After quadrupling the size of its Sunnyvale plant last year, Bloom Energy has now broken ground on a 210,000 sq ft. facility in Newark, Delaware that will eventually double its capacity once again. While the cells themselves require time to heat up, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the company’s sales, which seem to be taking off quickly, if their level of fundraising is any indication.
Edelman’s global research provides some interesting figures showing the power of purpose among consumers, including some valuable lessons both for consumers and companies. Here are five of them:
Explosive growth in mobile computing and cloud services has industry players, public and private sector organizations focused on greening the data center. But with investments and data center facilities growing exponentially, it’s more than likely that electricity demand will far outstrip energy savings and renewable energy gains.
There’s no rest for Apple after Foxconn fell out of the news cycle. Only two weeks later Apple is again at the focus of new allegations – this time from Greenpeace over its reliance on “dirty energy” to power its data centers.
Last fall, I wrote a review of the Nest Learning Thermostat that attracted a lot of attention. It turns out they just came out with Nest 2.0, so I thought I would take a look. The new software update includes:Enhanced Energy History, a more in-depth look at your usage, Airwave, a specific energy-saving application for the cooling season, additional remote features via web, iPhone and Android, and updated internal menus.
Mike Daisey’s story about Apple in China, which was broadcast in January on This American Life, appears to contain significant fabrications. We can’t vouch for its truth and therefore we’re retracting the story, Ira Glass, the host, announced on Friday. The impact of the original show in January brings to mind two important questions – why Daisey’s story played such an important part in creating a tipping point, and also, given what many consider as a positive impact generated by the original show, does it really matter if Daisey fabricated some parts of it?
Apple’s new “spaceship” building in Cupertino promises to be not only the most technologically advanced office in the world, but it makes a big effort to be sustainable, boasting 100 percent energy self-sufficiency.
According to the latest PwC Annual Global CEO Survey sustainability is still far from being on the radar of most CEOs worldwide. Looking at the key findings we show why it shouldn’t be this way.
Although there’s been a lot of progress around labor transparency, Apple’s recent issues show there’s still quite a way to go. LaborVoices is turning to the humble but highly effective telephone to actively address this issue. And make a profit from various channels while doing it.
Two online petitions with 250,000 signatures and dozens of demonstrators in front of Apple stores brought the company to announce that it asked the Fair Labor Association (FLA) to conduct special voluntary audits of Apple’s suppliers, including Foxconn factories in China.
Apple, a company that has fans like no other company, is facing now a public uproar with two petitions against the company that have managed to collect more than 200,000 signatures in just couple of days. The first, on Change.org calls Apple to “protect workers making iPhones in Chinese factories,” and the second, on SumOfUs, asks the company to “make the iPhone 5 ethically.” This new wave of online activism brings up the question: Is the OWS movement after Apple?
When Apple, Inc. – or for that matter, any other company – publishes the names of its suppliers, it’s a pretty good sign that the company is putting pressure on its supply chain to up the ante on sustainable practices. But the pressure doesn’t just come from the company alone. In effect, a supplier list [...]
I’m not sure if Steve Jobs was a fan of This American Life, the award-winning critically acclaimed radio program, but I bet that if he was still alive, he wouldn’t be too happy about last week’s show. It was dedicated to Mike Daisey’s show “The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs” and his journey to China to learn more about the people who make all his beloved Apple products.
The last piece of technology most carmakers have their fingerprint on is their internal combustion engines. Now, the rise of electric cars is threatening even that. But should car manufacturers be worried, or excited?
The following post is part of the course work for “Live Exchange” the foundational course on communication for The MBA Design Strategy Program at California College of the Arts. The rest of the posts are presented here. By Rahim Bhimani We have all become accustomed to the over used word “green”: green products, green cars, [...]
Is there is any way to prevent our society from becoming so dependent on digital communication that we forget how to connect as human beings?
Global demand for rare earth minerals will increase over seven percent a year, but now various reports suggest that prices for these materials will start trending downward.
There can never be a replacement for Mr. Jobs, but with him goes a key marketing advantage for Apple. As the dust settles over the news of Steve Jobs’ passing, emerging from the clouds of buzz stands Apple, alone. But pause for a moment to reflect on that mental image. What exactly does Apple-the-company look like now?
Apple Skin Skies examines the idea that our atmosphere is thin relative to the size of the planet and the number of humans on its surface. A connection is drawn between the thickness of an apple skin relative to its diameter and how with this simple mental exercise it becomes more clear how human activity could bring about global warming.
Who said the U.S. government is not pro-business? Next month, the government is launching a new Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), creating a ‘conflict free’ certification program for electronics companies in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This initiative was introduced last week when U.S. Under Secretary for Democracy and Global Affairs Maria Otero [...]
Is it possible that a memo is going around among CEOs instructing them to engage more seriously with stakeholders in general and NGOs specifically? Just look at the list – Adidas, Nike, Puma and H&M have all made commitments to eliminate all toxic pollution throughout their supply chain following the Greenpeace Detox campaign. The Rainforest Action [...]
There are already rumors that Apple’s third generation of the iPad (iPad 3), might be released by Thanksgiving or next year. Alongside these rumors is the great guessing game about new features. Here’s one feature that would have environmentalists drooling: solar powered charging. It might not be as unlikely as you think. Apple has been [...]
As surprising as it may seem (or not) there are problems with Apple’s suppliers in China, namely that many are not exactly environmentally friendly citizens. A coalition of environmental organizations cited “pollution and poisoning” problems in Apple’s China supply chain in two reports on the “Other Side of Apple.” In the second report, this group—Friends [...]
Do you have an old desktop or notebook just lying in the house? You’re not alone – there are estimated 68 million computers stockpiled in homes and offices across America. Apple aims to rectify the problem. Last week Apple announced it is expanding its reuse and recycling options to computers from any manufacture. According to [...]
The bare-bonesApple Retail Workers Union website first quotes the Apple mantra, “At Apple, our most important resource, our soul, is our people.”
Beneath the mantra is a statement from the website itself, “Our time has come,” indicating a move towards employee unionization. Moll hopes the website can facilitate connecting with other employees to come forward and organize.
A report by the Hong Kong based group, Students & Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM), details poor working conditions at Chinese factories which manufacture iPad 2 and HP laptops. The report claims that Foxconn, the company which owns the factories, treats workers “inhumanely, like machines.” At least 14 workers at Foxconn factories killed themselves in [...]
The following is part of a series by our friends at CSRHub (a 3p sponsor) – offering free sustainability and corporate social responsibility ratings on over 5,000 of the world’s largest publicly traded companies. 3p readers get 40% off CSRHub’s professional subscriptions with promo code “TP40“. By Cynthia Figge Fast Company recently named Apple #1 [...]
Intel and Apple have stopped purchasing minerals from central Africa, which has transformed a voluntary program to what the president of an exporter association in Congo called “an embargo.”
Apple has been in the news a lot lately. Last month, it released new Macbooks and an iPhone 4 for Verizon. On the sustainability front, the company released its annual Supplier Responsibility Report. The biggest news of all was not necessarily the release of the the iPad 2 but the presence of Steve Jobs at [...]
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[coming soon] The Green Beer Series 2012
San Diego: June 4-7
Sustainable Brands 2012: Join us as the Sustainability, Brand Strategy and Innovation Communities convene to shape the future. Discover and participate in the sustainable brand revolution by collaborating to shift consumer demand, drive heretical innovation, and evolve the business case. 20% Reader discount with code "nwtripsb12".
Webinar: June 5
Running an Effective Corporate Volunteer Program with AngelPoints: Key clients discuss how they put the AngelPoints Volunteering solution to work for them. Attend this webinar to learn best practices, tips & tricks - and how to get an effective volunteer program off the ground at your organization.
Seattle: June 11-12GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
Portland & Seattle: June 13 & 14
Sustainable Industries Economic Forum:
NYC: June 27-28Responsible Business Summit USA: Discover how to fully embed and integrate CSR in your organization. Learn how to collaborate with key stakeholders and establish competitive edge using proven CSR strategies. Hear best practices from GAP Inc, Timberland, Lockheed Martin, Life Technologies, Campbell Soup and many more.
Minneapolis: July 19-20GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
Boston: Sep 13-14GRI Certified Training: Demand for sustainability experts is growing rapidly as companies look for proven professionals. For companies, GRI trained employees mean faster implementations and better use of the GRI Sustainability Reporting Framework. Join our partner ISOS group for this two day session. Early bird discounts apply!
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