Apple Australia

This company was fined AU$9m by the Australian Federal Court in 2018 following an investigation of complaints relating to 'error 53'. This error disabled some iPhones and iPads after owners downloaded an update to Apple's iOS operating system. Apple admitted it had represented to at least 275 Australian customers affected by error 53 that they were no longer eligible for a remedy if their device had been repaired by a third party, even though customers are legally entitled to third party repairs under Australian Consumer Law.
Source: news article (2018)

The 2017 documentary 'Complicit' reveals how Chinese workers making Apple consumer electronics are exposed to poisonous chemicals, in particular cleaning solutions containing benzene. The landmark investigation led Apple to ban the use of benzene, a known carcinogen, and n-hexane, a chemical that damages the nervous system. But the ban does not apply to subcontractors who make up two-thirds of Apple's supply chain.
Source: ABC (2018)

This company appears on Burma Campaign UK's 'Dirty List' of companies assisting the Burmese military to continue to commit human rights violations and environmental destruction. The Apple App Store carries applications for Burmese military-owned companies, including Mytel.
Source: Burma Campaign UK (2023)

The Chinese government has facilitated the mass transfer of Uyghur and other ethnic minority citizens from the far west region of Xinjiang to factories across the country. Under conditions that strongly suggest forced labour, Uyghurs are working in factories that are in the supply chains of at least 83 well-known global brands in the technology, clothing and automotive sectors, including brands owned by this company. The Australian Strategic Policy Institute's 2020 report estimates (somewhat conservatively) that more than 80,000 Uyghurs were transferred out of Xinjiang to work in factories across China between 2017 and 2019, and some of them were sent directly from detention camps.
Source: ASPI (2020)

In 2016 Apple was ordered to pay back the Irish state up to 13bn euros in back taxes after the European commission ruled that a sweetheart tax deal between Apple and the Irish tax authorities amounted to illegal state aid. The commission said the deal allowed Apple to pay a maximum tax rate of just 1%. In 2014, the tech firm paid tax at just 0.005%. The usual rate of corporation tax in Ireland is 12.5%.
Source: The Guardian (2016)

In 2022 the median pay for a worker at this company was US$84,493. The CEO was paid 1,177 times this amount. Exorbitant CEO pay is a major contributor to rising inequality. CEOs are getting more because of their power to set pay, not because they are increasing productivity or possess specific, high-demand skills. The economy would suffer no harm if CEOs were paid less (or taxed more). In contrast, the CEO-to-typical-worker compensation ratio was 20-to-1 in 1965 and 58-to-1 in 1989.
Source: AFL-CIO (2023)

Engineers from ifixit.com disassembled and analysed a range of smartphones, tablets and laptops, awarding each a repairability score between one and ten. Ten is the easiest to repair. A device with a perfect score will be relatively inexpensive to repair because it is easy to disassemble and has a service manual available. Points are docked based on the difficulty of opening the device, the types of fasteners found inside, and the complexity involved in replacing major components. Points are awarded for upgradability, use of non-proprietary tools for servicing, and component modularity. Laptops and tablets released by this company between 2017 and 2019 scored between 1 and 3 points, while their iPhones scored 6 or 7 points.
Source: iFixit (2022)

Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) evaluates and ranks 14 of the world's most powerful digital platforms on their policies and practices affecting people's rights to freedom of expression and privacy. In RDR's 2022 Big Tech Scorecard, none of the digital platforms earned a passing grade. This company ranked #6/14, with a total score of 44/100.
Source: Ranking Digital Rights (2022)

In 2021 Apple and Google were fined 10 million euros apiece by Italy's competition and market authority (AGCM) which has found they did not provide their users with clear enough information on commercial uses of their data - in violation of the country's consumer code. The regulator also accuses the pair of deploying "aggressive" practices to push users to accept the commercial processing. The AGCM also accused Apple of failing to immediately provide users with clear information on how it uses their information commercially when they create an Apple ID or access its digital stores, such as the App Store.
Source: Tech Crunch (2021)

In 2022 the Dutch Authority for Consumers & Market (ACM) levied a sixth fine (of 5 million euros) against Apple for non-compliance with an order to allow local dating apps to have the option to use third party payment tech to sell digital content to their app users. Follow the link for more.
Source: Tech Crunch (2022)

This company scores Ethical Consumer's worst rating for the likely use of tax avoidance strategies, and has at least two high risk subsidiaries in tax havens.
Source: Ethical Consumer (2022)

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 37/100 in the Computers & Peripherals and Office Electronics category of the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices (last updated 16 Dec 2022). The rankings are based on an analysis of corporate economic, environmental and social performance, assessing issues such as corporate governance, risk management, environmental reporting, climate strategy, human rights and labour practices.
Source: S&P Global (2022)

The Invest Your Values Corporate Retirement Plan Sustainability Scorecard by As You Sow rates retirement plans on seven environmental and social sustainability issues. This company's default corporate retirement plan offered to employees is the BlackRock Global LifePath Index which is rated Fair for gender equality and civilian firearms, and Poor for fossil fuels, deforestation, prison industrial complex, military weapons and tobacco.
Source: As You Sow (2022)

As You Sow's 2023 report, 'The 100 Most Overpaid CEOs', reveals the 100 most overpaid CEOs from USA's 500 largest public companies (as determined by the S&P 500 list). This company's CEO, Timothy D. Cook came in at number 10 on the list, having been paid US$98,734,394 in 2022. According to the report, "Most CEOs have come to be grossly overpaid, and that overpayment is harmful to the companies, the shareholders, the customers, the other employees, the economy, and society as a whole."
Source: As You Sow (2023)

In 2023 Spain's antitrust authority fined Amazon and Apple a total of 194 million euros for unfairly restricting competition around the reselling and marketing of Apple kit and other products on the e-commerce giant's local e-commerce marketplace. Apple's share of the fine was 143 million euros. In 2021 Italy's competition watchdog hit Amazon and Apple with a 258 million euro penalty for alleged collusion in a similar case related to the reselling of Apple and Apple-owned Bears kit on Amazon.
Source: Tech Crunch (2023)