Source : Procurement Leaders

Apple’s ongoing scrutiny of its Chinese suppliers over concerns of environmentally harmful practices has been welcomed with cautious praise by Chinese green groups.

Officials from Apple met the leaders of five environmental groups on Tuesday, according to the Wall Street Journal. Apple described the launch of audits of 15 suppliers the groups had previously accused of polluting. Notably, this is one of the rare occasions where Apple has taken the step of identifying suppliers.

In August, Chinese environmental groups published an extensive report accusing Apple suppliers in the country of systemic pollution, however Apple’s efforts to work with those companies to reduce environmentally damaging practices has since been commended by the groups. They do, however, point out that a continued lack of transparency remains a concern.

"This is a major step forward," said Ma Jun, one of China’s best-known green activists and director of one of the organisations, the Beijing-based Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs. "They asked these companies to take corrective plans and give a timeline, and Apple will verify whether all these issues have been resolved."

Carolyn Wu, an Apple spokeswoman, declined to comment to the WSJ on Tuesday’s meeting but said: " Apple is committed to driving the highest standards of social responsibility throughout our supply chain. We require that our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made."