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Everyone has learned the lesson: Criticize Apple and draw a lot of
attention.
For years, people like John C.
Dvorak and Paul Thurrott
have picked on Apple to get the attention of the Mac Web, where
thousands of Mac faithful would dutifully read their diatribes. It was
a great way to build traffic to their websites.
Later on, Greenpeace discovered that it worked as well, getting a
lot of free press. After all, there's no such thing as a bad link! So
what if much of its criticism of Apple was
unfounded.
The latest group to follow this tactic is a Chinese
environmental group, which has taken a very roundabout way to do
it.
There's no question that China has become the world's dumping ground
for electronic waste and a leading supplier of electronic components,
which create their own toxic waste. And everyone knows that just about
anything electronic includes components sourced from China. Products
are often assembles there as well to take advantage of a low cost labor
pool.
Anyhow, these Chinese environmentalists took a page from the
Greenpeace playbook. Find a problem, find a link to Apple, and get the
world's attention.
These green groups are not criticizing Apple for its plants in
China, because Apple doesn't own any plants in China. Apple contracts
with Chinese companies to assemble its computers.
These groups are criticizing Apple not for its own sins but for the
sins of its supply chain - poor environmental and safety standards by
companies that supply components for Apple products or assemble
them.
Think about it. These Chinese environmentalists are getting on
Apple's case because of problems in China that are not Apple's doing.
It's the Chinese government that allows these environmental and safety
problems to persist. Why should it be up to Apple to address what their
own government doesn't?
"(Apple) only care about the price and quality (of
their products) and not the environmental and social responsibility
issues. In some ways they drive the suppliers to cut corners to win
their contracts."
Groups such as the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs
may feel self-righteous in putting down Apple for "supply chain
malpractice".
This despite the fact that Apple sets standard for and monitors its
suppliers.
Is it Apple's fault when a supplier chooses to be environmentally
irresponsible or treat its employees poorly? Yet that's one of the
things these Chinese environmentalists harp on. The other is that Apple
hasn't responded to their requests for information - also a huge factor
in Greenpeace's poor ratings for Apple.
"Apple's lack of responsiveness eventually made
us quite shocked. It's the whole complacency that it doesn't have to be
accountable to the NGOs, to the communities, even to the poisoned
workers."
Don't criticize Apple for anything it has done; condemn it for not
investing its time to respond to your inquiries. It doesn't matter
whether Apple has done anything. These people will paint Apple as the
bad guy rather than simply state the truth: Apple chose not to respond
to our requests for information.
Honestly, I would love to see Apple be more responsive and
responsible in these areas, something many of its competitors are
doing. Apple has the resources. More than that, Apple has a very high
public profile. It should be a good world citizen. And perhaps it
should set higher standards for its suppliers than their own
governments do.
But if these Chinese greens want to fix the problem, they shouldn't
lay it at Apple's door. It is their own countrymen and their own
government that are responsible. Stop pointing the finger overseas for
a problem in your own backyard.
I applaud these environmentalists for their concern, for their
research, and for their desire to get the word out by whatever means
possible. This may be the best way to pressure their government and
Chinese businesses to raise the bar, but the problem really isn't Apple
- it's greedy profiteering by their countrymen.
Dan Knight has been using Macs since 1986,
sold Macs for several years, supported them for many more years, and
has been publishing Low End Mac since April 1997. If you find Dan's articles helpful, please consider making a donation to his tip jar.
Links for the Day
Mac of the Day: Blue & White Power Mac G3, introduced 1999.01.05. The most colorful Power Mac introduced an innovative 'drawbridge' enclosure.
