We were critical of Apple's environmental stance a couple of years ago, saying that the company was positioned to be a leader rather than a a foot-dragger. Since then, the company has made significant strides, such as improvements to its take-back recycling programs. On the downside, issues about its Chinese contract manufacturing operations have been slow to be resolved.

Apple had preciously accepted other manufacturers' phones for recycling. Now, Apple will accept others' PCs and give you a gift card as well. I do not know of any other computer manufacturer that offers a free recycling service for machines made by competitors. (Check out our posts about Apple for example of Apple progress.)

One lingering question is the performance of Apple's China-based contract manufacturing operations. We noted in October 2010 a Chinese NGO's report calling for improved Apple environmental performance.

An August 2011 follow-up report says, "Faced with an ever evasive Apple, a group of Chinese NGOs decided to dig deeper and carry out further investigations into the environmental problems that exist within Apple’s supply chain. Through five months of research and field investigations we have found that the pollution discharge from this $300 billon dollar company has been expanding and spreading throughout its supply chain, and has been seriously encroaching on local communities and their surrounding environments." (Links to English and Chinese language versions of the report and Chinese language videos. Photo courtesy IPE.)

The most recent reports (Nov 2011) have been mixed.

On one hand, it appears Apple is directly engaging its Chinese critics. According to the BBC, "Apple has met with environmental groups in China in a bid to quell concerns about pollution caused by its Chinese manufacturers…The Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE) said the technology giant had shared its plans to address the issues during the talks…'They explained a bit what they have been doing, which includes probes of 15 of their suppliers,' Ma Jun, Director, told the BBC's Chinese service. 'They've since laid out improvement plans, and are now working on them to a timetable. They promised to increase assessment of environmental impact and management when they look for new suppliers in the future, and they will make use of the data that we made public about their supply chain management'…"

On the other, APM Marketplace reports,"The streets of Tongxin village are lined with garbage. The air carries a strong chemical smell -- like WD-40. When I arrived, people were eager to tell me about the pollution…I recently returned to Tongxin village to see if things had changed…This time, nobody wanted to talk to me. Some people hid in their homes when they saw me…I ask one woman if she's been threatened. "I don't know," she says nervously. But then [she] invites me inside her house. 'Yes, we've been threatened. Village officials have warned us not to talk to reporters about the pollution.'"

Marketplace does note, "And even though Apple's still being secretive about its Chinese suppliers, it's becoming clear to Ma [Jun] that Apple's already begun to put pressure on its extensive supply chain in China."

The Apple Supplier Responsibility 2012 Progress Report "audits suppliers in six areas relating to environmental impact. We look for compliance of both their practices and management systems…In 2011, in addition to our standard [environmental] audits, we launched a specialized auditing program to address environmental concerns about certain suppliers in China. Third-party environmental engineering experts worked with our team to conduct detailed audits at 14 facilities. We uncovered some violations and worked with our suppliers to correct the issues. We will expand our environmental auditing program in the coming year.." The company discloses that 79% of environmental practices are in compliance and 76% of environmental management systems."Hazardous substance management" is one of the weakest areas at 68% and 66%, respectively. This report is for operations in all locations, not just China.