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 (2019)

This 2014 report by China Labour Watch (CLW) investigates working conditions at a Chinese factory supplying to Apple. The report reveals many labour violations in this factory, including long hours, excessive overtime, dangerous working conditions, low wages, and underpaid workers. CLW investigated the same factory 16 months earlier, and conditions worsened during that time.
Source: China Labour Watch (2014)

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)

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 score 6 points.
Source: iFixit (2020)

In July 2014 Apple agreed to pay up to US$450m in its conditional settlement over allegations that the company conspired with several big publishers to fix e-book prices. This is conditional on the result of Apple's pending appeal in the Federal Appeals Court of the 2013 ruling by a New York Federal judge that Apple had violated anti-trust laws.
Source: Fortune (2014)

This company was one of four companies that agreed to pay a total of US$324m to settle a class action lawsuit accusing them of conspiring to hold down salaries in Silicon Valley by agreeing not to recruit or poach employees from each other. However in Aug 2014 a US court rejected this settlement on the basis that more than 60,000 top-level workers were affected, saying that the amount should be larger. The settlement amount was changed to US$415m in 2015.
Source: news article (2015)

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 (2018)

This company received an S&P Global ESG Score of 29/100 in the Computers & Peripherals and Office Electronics category of the 2019 SAM Corporate Sustainability Assessment, an annual evaluation of companies' sustainability practices. 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 (2019)