A friend sent me this link to an article explaining a recent audit by Apple for its factories. The findings? Of the 102 audited factories, "54% had employees that worked more than the maximum allowed 60-hour weeks; 24% were paid less than minimum wage; 37% failed to meet anti-discrimination practices, and three facilities had employed a total of 11 people who were 15 when they started working" (Whittemore, 2010). Apple has stated they are now trying to employ practices to move toward better compliance.
The article also points out that in many factories (where all of our electronics are made), Apple was the first to perform such an audit; therefore, many companies do not even know how their products are being made or who is making them.
The article closes with this, something I couldn't agree more with or say any better:
"Still, the larger question has to center on what we expect of our manufacturing processes. Consumer demand for lower prices drives pressure for unscrupulous practices. A huge part of changing the world, then, has to mean voting with our dollars" (Whittemore, 2010).
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