Supply Chain Innovation

Supply Chain Innovation is sponsored by Apple. We prioritize providing safe, respectful, and supportive workplaces for everyone. Focus areas: Technology.

Supply Chain Innovation - Apple Apple products are designed in California and built by people all over the world. We strive to uphold our high standards everywhere we operate, supporting the people and communities across our supply chain, and working to protect the planet we all share.

supplier employees trained on their workplace rights since 2008 supplier employees engaged about their workplace experience through interviews and anonymous surveys supplier employees who have participated in technical training, professional development, and enrichment courses since 2008 reduction in global greenhouse gas emissions, compared with 2015 baseline of materials, by weight, used in our products came from recycled or renewable sources in 2025 Our supply chain includes thousands of supplier facilities in over 60 countries.

Suppliers support every stage of the Apple product lifecycle, and we apply our strict requirements globally to move our partners, ourselves, and the industry forward. Design and Source. We design our products using more recycled and renewable materials.

All materials sourced by our suppliers, whether recycled or not, must come from sources that meet our strict standards. Make. Suppliers help us build parts that are combined to create critical components, such as displays, batteries, and chips.

These components are assembled to become Apple products. Package and Ship. Through our suppliers, we’re able to deliver finished Apple products all over the world, including to our retail stores and directly to our customers.

Use. Our suppliers help provide Apple services like Apple One and AppleCare, from technical infrastructure to customer support. Recover.

With support from recycling suppliers, we recover products and create novel solutions to help maximize recovery of priority materials. We also share what we learn with the industry to help drive progress. High standards at every step.

How we drive progress through the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct. Learn more about the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct High standards at every step. Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Everyone deserves to work in a safe and healthy environment where they’re treated with dignity and respect.

For 20 years, the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct has set our standards in areas including labor and human rights, health and safety, the environment, responsible materials sourcing, rights-holder engagement, and business conduct. In 2025, we updated the Code of Conduct , opens in a new tab , incorporating feedback from experts, suppliers, and Apple teams.

This feedback helped create our strongest standards yet, designed to lead the industry and to adapt to Apple’s continually evolving products and services. Component manufacturing, Switzerland Logistics and repair, United States Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Component manufacturing, India Logistics and repair, Czech Republic We hold our suppliers accountable.

Assessments, conducted by third-party auditors, thoroughly examine the details of a supplier’s operations and compliance with our standards. Auditors interview supplier management and employees, conduct detailed site walkthroughs, and perform comprehensive reviews of documentation, all designed to assess that our standards are being met — and to look for opportunities for improvement.

In addition to planned assessments, we also conduct unannounced visits, where the supplier has no advance knowledge of the auditor’s arrival. How we hold suppliers accountable. Before we award business to a supplier or begin production, we check for any potential human rights, environmental, or other risks, and require them to address any issues.

Listen to supplier employees We require our suppliers to train their employees on workplace rights. Every year, we engage with hundreds of thousands of people through interviews conducted during assessments, anonymous surveys, and feedback submitted directly to Apple.

In addition to addressing the feedback received from supplier employees, we promptly investigate any allegations, with Apple experts arriving onsite within 24 to 48 hours when necessary. If a violation is discovered, we require suppliers to promptly implement a plan to correct it, and to strengthen their policies and procedures to prevent the issue from reoccurring.

In the event of a Core Violation — the most serious level of violation — we immediately place the supplier on probation, notify their CEO, and restrict the supplier’s ability to receive new business from Apple while the violation is remedied.

Learn more about our approach to due diligence and accountability supplier employees trained on their workplace rights in 2025 assessments of supplier facilities conducted in 2025, with more than 20 percent being unannounced visits More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain Semiconductor manufacturing, France Learn more about supplier safety The Supplier Employee Development Fund.

Learn more about Supplier Employee Development Fund iPhone assembly, China mainland Learn more about supplier accountability The American Manufacturing Program. Our investment in workers across the U.S. Advanced server manufacturing, United States Learn more about supply chain manufacturing The American Manufacturing Program.

Advanced server manufacturing, United States In 2025, Apple announced the American Manufacturing Program, part of our $600 billion commitment to incentivize global companies to manufacture even more critical components in the United States. The program includes the Apple Manufacturing Academy and the Apple Education Hub, which opened in Detroit in 2025.

The Manufacturing Academy is designed to help small- and medium-sized businesses transition to advanced manufacturing by implementing artificial intelligence and smart manufacturing techniques.

And the Apple Education Hub, like the Hub’s other locations in China mainland, India, and Vietnam, provides supplier employees with hands-on and virtual opportunities to learn valuable new skills like Swift coding and smart manufacturing fundamentals — and to develop personally through courses on communication and leadership.

Glass manufacturing, United States Semiconductor manufacturing, United States Semiconductor manufacturing, United States Logistics and repair, United States Apple Manufacturing Academy, United States committed by Apple to spend and invest in the U.S. More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain Semiconductor manufacturing, France Learn more about supplier safety Education programs, Vietnam Learn more about employee feedback iPhone assembly, China mainland Learn more about supplier accountability Health and safety are top priorities.

Semiconductor manufacturing, France Learn more about supplier safety Semiconductor manufacturing, France Everyone has the right to be safe at work. Safeguarding people and the environment starts with setting high standards and creating a culture of accountability.

We work to evaluate the machines, manufacturing processes, and chemicals our suppliers use to make our products in order to safeguard the health and safety of the people in our supply chain and the environment where they operate.

Our suppliers are required to conduct regular inspections of their facilities, machines, and the chemicals used to verify that our industry-leading safety standards are met, and we evaluate their compliance through regular rigorous assessments. We partner with our suppliers to build workplace cultures that put health and safety first, every day.

We offer training resources to support continual improvement of safety practices and require suppliers to provide health and safety training to their employees. Suppliers also create channels for teams to suggest ways that the workplace could be even safer. By empowering people to speak up and share insights from their experience, we are helping suppliers create workplaces where safety is the top priority — and everyone’s job.

Component manufacturing, Thailand Semiconductor manufacturing, United States Component manufacturing, Vietnam Semiconductor manufacturing, France Component manufacturing, Switzerland supplier sites participated in safety training since 2022 safer cleaners required for use at final assembly facilities More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain High standards at every step.

Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct Education programs, Vietnam Learn more about employee feedback The American Manufacturing Program. Advanced server manufacturing, United States Learn more about supply chain manufacturing The Supplier Employee Development Fund. Learn more about Supplier Employee Development Fund The Supplier Employee Development Fund.

Education moves everyone forward. The Apple Supplier Employee Development Fund is our $50 million commitment to further invest in the people in our supply chain — and to innovate and expand on our long-running education programs.

Since launching in 2022, the Fund, along with leading partner organizations, has provided opportunities for millions of people all over the world to learn, grow, and explore opportunities to advance in their jobs — or embark on a new career journey.

The Fund’s Apple Education Hub, with physical locations now in the United States, China mainland, India, and Vietnam, delivers hands-on and virtual learning opportunities designed to equip people with in-demand technical skills like Swift coding, smart manufacturing fundamentals, and robotics training. The Fund also delivers programming to help people thrive personally.

World-class workplace rights training empowers people with awareness and ways to speak up if their rights are not being protected. And health education provides tailored learning on critical topics like mental wellbeing, reproductive health, and disease prevention and early detection. We’re also helping suppliers create more inclusive workplaces through our Vocational Education for Persons with Disabilities program.

The program equips persons with disabilities with the skills to succeed in manufacturing environments, while at the same time helping our suppliers make their workplaces more welcoming and supportive for everyone. Participating suppliers are modifying their facilities where necessary, and they are training their teams to support their new coworkers through opportunities such as sign language classes.

As we enter the Fund’s fifth year, we remain committed to creating a world of learning for people across our global supply chain.

Professional development course, United States Coding education program, Vietnam Smart manufacturing program, China mainland Coding education program, Vietnam Robotics education program, India Semiconductor manufacturing, United States Advanced server manufacturing, United States education and training sessions delivered as part of the Supplier Employee Development Fund since launching in 2022 participants across more than 70 supplier facilities in the Vocational Education for Persons with Disabilities program since its launch in 2022 supplier employees who have graduated from our Swift coding program since 2017 people reached by our health and wellness programs since 2017 More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain High standards at every step.

Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct Education programs, Vietnam Learn more about employee feedback iPhone assembly, China mainland Learn more about supplier accountability Fair job recruitment begins with strict standards.

iPhone assembly, China mainland Learn more about supplier accountability iPhone assembly, China mainland We require that suppliers’ job recruitment processes be free and fair, prohibiting practices such as charging fees to secure a job — even where it’s allowed by law.

We’ve partnered with the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency, to create easy-to-use tools that help suppliers recruit people ethically and with respect for their human rights. Apple does not tolerate forced labor. Our work to uphold strong hiring standards extends throughout a worker’s employment journey.

Our policies apply globally, regardless of a person’s job, location, or how they were hired. We look for evidence of forced labor in every supplier assessment we conduct, and we continue to drive leading practices across the industry.

Learn more about our efforts to prevent forced labor instances found where people were forced to work in our supply chain in 2025 supplier employees covered by training on industry-leading hiring standards since 2019 More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain The Supplier Employee Development Fund. Learn more about Supplier Employee Development Fund The American Manufacturing Program.

Advanced server manufacturing, United States Learn more about supply chain manufacturing Semiconductor manufacturing, France Learn more about supplier safety Workplaces shaped by the people who know them best. Learn more about employee feedback Education programs, Vietnam Feedback is critical for continuous improvement.

Suppliers are required to provide training on workplace rights, and we encourage everyone across our supply chain to share feedback directly with Apple. We interview and survey hundreds of thousands of supplier employees each year, and provide hotlines, as well as a feedback form on this website, so people can anonymously raise concerns.

We use this feedback to support our suppliers in continuously improving their workplaces to provide the best possible experience for their employees. Apple does not tolerate retaliation, and any supplier that retaliates against their employees for raising a concern faces immediate consequences, up to and including termination of their business with Apple.

We require our suppliers to promptly address any issues that arise, and we regularly check on their progress until we confirm that all necessary actions have been taken. If suppliers are unwilling or unable to meet our standards, they risk removal from our supply chain. Since 2009, we have removed 25 manufacturing supplier facilities and 232 smelters and refiners * from our supply chain for failing to meet our standards.

Education programs, Vietnam Logistics and repair, United States Mobile Worker Resource Center, India Semiconductor manufacturing, United States Worker rights training, Thailand supplier employees directly engaged by Apple about their workplace experiences in 2025 improvements made to supplier workplaces in 2025 based on feedback from their employees, in areas like employee services, facilities, and onboarding supplier employees contacted after interviews to ensure that they didn’t experience retaliation More about People in Apple’s Supply Chain The American Manufacturing Program.

Advanced server manufacturing, United States Learn more about supply chain manufacturing iPhone assembly, China mainland Learn more about supplier accountability High standards at every step. Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct Environmental rights are human rights. Learn more about environmental rights Environmental rights are human rights.

Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland Our approach to caring for the planet considers not only the environmental implications of the decisions we make, but also the impact of those decisions on people.

We collaborate with local partners — including other companies, expert organizations, government agencies, and environmental defenders — to help address the diverse needs of these communities, from improving water quality across entire watersheds to strengthening resilience to extreme weather.

We piloted a program with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to help small communities in the Philippines better withstand the impacts of repeated typhoons through the construction of resilient shelters. Last year, the IOM published a framework based on the pilot’s success, multiplying the program’s impact and creating the potential for positive change in communities all over the world.

human rights and environmental defenders supported by Apple in 2025 More about Environment in Apple’s Supply Chain Mac mini assembly, China mainland Learn more about our journey to 100 percent recycled or renewable Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about how we minimize resource use and eliminate waste Supplier solar array installation, Thailand Learn more about carbon neutral supply chain practices Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland Our journey to carbon neutrality across our global footprint.

Learn more about carbon neutral supply chain practices Supplier solar array installation, Thailand In 2020, we achieved carbon neutrality for our corporate emissions, and we’re committed to being carbon neutral across our value chain by 2030. We’re designing our products to be less carbon-intensive.

We’re working to increase our use of recycled and renewable materials, improve material and energy efficiency, and address direct emissions. We’re also transitioning our entire value chain to 100 percent renewable energy.

We aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 75 percent compared with our 2015 baseline before balancing the remaining emissions — starting with nature-based solutions that adhere to rigorous international standards, like those in the Apple Restore Fund.

We are requiring our direct suppliers to become carbon neutral for their Apple production by 2030, and we’re helping them get there through targeted programs and training to improve energy efficiency and identify sources of high-quality renewable energy.

Apple Restore Fund, United States Supplier solar array installation, United States Apple Restore Fund, United States Learn more about Apple 2030 gigawatts of renewable energy sourced by Apple suppliers in 2025 More about Environment in Apple’s Supply Chain Mac mini assembly, China mainland Learn more about our journey to 100 percent recycled or renewable Environmental rights are human rights.

Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland Learn more about environmental rights Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about how we minimize resource use and eliminate waste How we apply a zero-waste mindset. Learn more about how we minimize resource use and eliminate waste Apple Watch assembly, China mainland We’re dedicated to minimizing resource use and eliminating waste as we build our products.

We require our suppliers to avoid sending waste to landfills by implementing recycling and reuse programs and developing innovative materials and recycling strategies. Today, all established final assembly sites where Apple products are assembled and packaged meet the standard for zero-waste verification.

Water is a critical resource shared by people and ecosystems around the world, and we’re working to protect it for future generations. Through our Clean Water Program, participating suppliers are reducing their water usage, promoting water recycling, and preventing water pollution.

Since the launch of this program in 2013, 32 of our suppliers’ facilities have achieved certification through the Alliance for Water Stewardship (AWS), the world’s leading water stewardship organization. Earning this certification requires suppliers to adopt industry-leading water conservation and stewardship practices while also engaging with their communities to protect resources across their local water basin.

metric tons of waste diverted from landfills by Apple suppliers in 2025 gallons of water saved through the Apple Clean Water Program since 2013 More about Environment in Apple’s Supply Chain Mac mini assembly, China mainland Learn more about our journey to 100 percent recycled or renewable Environmental rights are human rights.

Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland Learn more about environmental rights Supplier solar array installation, Thailand Learn more about carbon neutral supply chain practices Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Our journey to 100 percent recycled or renewable.

Learn more about our journey to 100 percent recycled or renewable Mac mini assembly, China mainland Our aim is to one day build our products using only recycled or renewable materials. Each year, we move closer to that goal, as we pursue the innovation necessary for more components to be made with 100 percent recycled or renewable materials.

Effectively disassembling and recycling our products at the end of their useful life is a key part of our work to support a circular economy. These processes, led by Apple’s disassembly robots Daisy, Dave, and Taz, help recover valuable materials that can be used again, making the best use of finite resources and enabling us to design and build the next generation of devices to be even better for people and the planet.

We help our recycling suppliers efficiently and safely recycle our products and conduct rigorous assessments to verify that they’re meeting our standards. We also make our Recycler Guides available to the public so that recyclers everywhere can safely disassemble our products for maximum material recovery. We maintain strict standards for the responsible sourcing of materials — whether primary or recycled.

Although Apple does not source primary material directly from mine sites, we work closely with our suppliers to uphold our standards and support partners that work to improve conditions in and around mining communities.

Learn more about our efforts to responsibly source materials Learn more about our recycling efforts Component manufacturing, Vietnam Logistics and repair, United Arab Emirates Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland iMac assembly, China mainland Supplier water treatment center, Vietnam recycled cobalt used in all Apple-designed batteries recycled rare earth elements used in all magnets across Apple products recycled gold plating and tin solder used in all Apple-designed printed circuit boards More about Environment in Apple’s Supply Chain Apple Watch assembly, China mainland Learn more about how we minimize resource use and eliminate waste Supplier solar array installation, Thailand Learn more about carbon neutral supply chain practices Environmental rights are human rights.

Sustainably managed forest, Switzerland Learn more about environmental rights Read our 2026 reports to learn more about our dedication to people and the planet. Glass manufacturing, United States More from Apple on our global supply chain. Your feedback makes a difference.

Feedback makes our global supply chain better. We welcome your thoughts, questions, and ideas. Enter a valid or alternate email address Select your country or region América Latina y el Caribe (español) Latin America and the Caribbean (English) St.

Vincent & The Grenadines Annual Supply Chain Report Select affiliation category Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) Select affiliation category We’re committed to bringing our net emissions to zero across our entire carbon footprint by 2030. We’re holding ourselves accountable for creating a culture where everyone belongs. We’re addressing systemic racism by expanding opportunities for communities of color globally.

We empower students and educators to learn, create, and define their own success. We design every product and service to keep your data safe and secure. Our built-in accessibility features are designed to work the way you do.