From: Flinty Maguire, Cobalt Children [mailto:hello@cobaltchildren.org] Sent: 23 May 2017 13:50 To: 'supplierresponsibility@apple.com' <supplierresponsibility@apple.com>; 'tcook@apple.com' <tcook@apple.com> Cc: 'ambassade.britannique@fco.gov.uk' <ambassade.britannique@fco.gov.uk>; Kimbilio Ian Harvey (ian@congochildrentrust.org) <ian@congochildrentrust.org>; Ludlam, Nick <Nick.Ludlam@sky.uk>; 'news.plan@sky.uk' <news.plan@sky.uk>; 'amacco@hotmail.com' <amacco@hotmail.com>; 'mark.dummett@amnesty.org' <mark.dummett@amnesty.org>; 'catherinemutindi' <catherinemutindi@gmail.com> Subject: Apple: will you help Dorsen, Richard and the cobalt children? You claim to be "leader of your industry". Please set an example. Dear Tim Cook, and Apple Supplier Responsibility, Thank you for your email. Your response, unfortunately, does not address the questions in my letter, dated, 4 April 2017, nor my follow-up email, dated 7 May 2017, which I have pasted at the bottom of this email, for your information. Your letter appears reassuring as you identify yourselves as the leader of your industry to establish the “strictest standards” for your suppliers of minerals, including colbalt. Cobalt, as you know, is mined by child and adult artisanal miners. As you are aware, work conditions and remuneration for these miners are an abuse of human rights. However, after reading your report: Apple Supplier Responsibility, 2017, the parsing of your following statement nullifies your claim to have “strict standards”. You state: “We continue to partner with independent third-party auditors to review documents, interview management and line operators, and perform onsite inspections. These include underage workers or involuntary labor, document falsification, intimidation of or retaliation against workers, and egregious environmental and safety risks. We expect our suppliers to show steady improvement. If year-over-year improvement is not demonstrated by a lowperforming supplier, they risk losing our business.” [Apple Supplier Responsibility. 2017 Progress Report, page 4] Your statement is clear: after a period of years, there is only a RISK of Apple withdrawing from suppliers who falsify documents, intimidate workers, retaliate against workers, provide egregious, unsafe environments, and use underage workers and involuntary labour. The Amnesty International report: This is what we die for, January 2016, states: Companies have a responsibility to mitigate and take corrective measures for the victims if they have failed to respect human rights at any point during their operations... If human rights abuses have occurred at any point in the supply chain, the company must, in cooperation with other relevant actors, such as its suppliers and national authorities, take action to remediate the harm suffered by the people affected. The Sky News report, broadcast in February 2017, featuring child cobalt miners, Dorsen and Richard, has had over 44 million views. The report highlighted the reality of cobalt children in DR Congo, who worked 12 hour days for pennies. These children are exhausted and hungry at this very moment; they will be exhausted and hungry tomorrow, and the day
after. Try telling such children that you have a hope that their lives will improve year-overyear. It’s just not good enough. Meanwhile, your company celebrates profit. We asked Sky News to revisit the story of Dorsen and Richard, who exemplify child cobalt miners. Nick Ludlam, Africa Editor, liaised with myself and Ian Harvey, director of the registered charity, Congo Children Trust. Ian Harvey offered to support the boys if they could be relocated, and on 2 May, journalist Alex Crawford and her team relocated Dorsen and Richard in DR Congo. Nothing had changed for them: they were exhausted, dirty, hungry and hard at work mining cobalt. The boys and their fathers were overwhelmed to be offered assistance through the project, Kimbilio (a children’s sanctuary) managed by the Congo Children Trust. There are links to these Sky News films via www.cobaltchildren.org Since that time, we have raised some funds to support Dorsen, Richard and other children, but we need more. We “take action to remediate the harm suffered” by these children. “We” are people who object to, and care that others suffer abuse in the supply chain of our technology. “We” are your customers who buy your iPhones. “You” from your own words, represent the leader of your industry which has profited in the past, and will in the future, from human rights abuses of adult and child workers. In reality, corporate policies make customers complicit with human rights abuses. Cobalt children cannot eat your reports, your statements or your corporate spin. This is harsh to write, but it is true, and you should be ashamed. I ask again: please would you participate in supporting Dorsen, Richard and other child cobalt miners? Help them to have a life away from the mines: to wear clean clothes, eat every day and go to school. We dip our hands into our pockets to help these children. We offer reparation. Will you? With hope, Flinty Maguire www.cobaltchildren.org This email is published on the website: www.cobaltchildren.org
From: supplierresponsibility@apple.com [mailto:supplierresponsibility@apple.com] Sent: 22 May 2017 21:42 To: hello@cobaltchildren.org Subject: Thank you for your letter Dear Flinty, Thank you for writing to Apple about your concerns. Apple is deeply committed to the responsible sourcing of materials for our products and we've led the industry in establishing the strictest standards for our suppliers. We are committed to providing fair and safe working conditions, creating greater opportunities for workers, and transparently reporting on our efforts at every level of our supply chain. Our approach to addressing the sourcing of minerals is unique. We work closely with our suppliers and on the ground with smelters across our global supply chain to push them to improve their business practices. We were the first company to map our conflict minerals
(tin, tungsten and tantalum and gold) supply chain down to the mine level, and 100% of our conflict minerals smelters are participating in independent third party audits to assess risks in their own operations. We were also the first company to fully map our cobalt supply chain, and we have driven 100% of our cobalt smelters to also participate in independent third party audits. We recently published a list of all of our tin, tantalum, gold and tungsten smelters and together with the release of our annual progress report on Supplier Responsibility, (https://www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/) and we published a full list of our cobalt smelters - another first for our industry. If our suppliers are ultimately unable or unwilling to meet our high standards, then we suspend or terminate business with them. Last year we removed 22 smelters from our supply chain. Earlier this year we directed one of our smelters, Huayou Cobalt, to temporarily suspend providing artisanally mined cobalt to the Apple supply chain due to concerns surrounding its ability to ensure responsible sourcing practices. If Huayou Cobalt can establish that its artisanal cobalt is sourced responsibly in accordance with Apple’s rigorous standards and verified by an independent third party audit, we anticipate being able to accept the resumption of artisanal mined cobalt in our supply chain. We know there are real challenges with artisanal mining of cobalt, but walking away from it indefinitely would be harmful to communities who rely on this mining for their income. We have also partnered with numerous NGOs to drive change on the ground in the Democratic Republic of Congo, including Pact who are working on child labor prevention activities in the DRC. Our commitment to driving responsible sourcing practices globally will not waiver, and we will continue to drive our standards deep in our supply chain. As we continue our efforts to source materials responsibly, we’re also challenging ourselves to one day end our reliance on mining altogether. To start, we’re encouraging more customers to recycle their old devices through Apple Renew. And we’re piloting innovative new recycling techniques, like our line of disassembly robots, so we can put reclaimed materials to better use in new products. It’s an ambitious goal that will require many years of collaboration across multiple Apple teams, our suppliers, and specialty recyclers—but our work is already under way. Thank you again for your correspondence about this important subject. Sincerely, Apple Supplier Responsibility
FYI – pasted email to Tim Cook, 7 May 2017 From: Flinty Maguire, Cobalt Children [mailto:hello@cobaltchildren.org] Sent: 07 May 2017 17:24 To: 'tcook@apple.com' <tcook@apple.com> Cc: 'mark.dummett@amnesty.org' <mark.dummett@amnesty.org>; 'ambassade.britannique@fco.gov.uk' <ambassade.britannique@fco.gov.uk>; 'amacco@hotmail.com' <amacco@hotmail.com>; 'catherinemutindi' <catherinemutindi@gmail.com>; Kimbilio Ian Harvey (ian@congochildrentrust.org) <ian@congochildrentrust.org> Subject: RE: FAO Mr Tim Cook, CEO Apple Dear Mr Tim Cook, I wonder if you would be so kind as to clarify if you would support Dorsen and Richard, please? Or perhaps make any gesture of support to the child cobalt miners?
As yet, not one corporate has responded to our communication with an offer of help, or even a mention of the boysâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; names. The Sky News report featuring Dorsen and Richard, child cobalt miners, has had over 44 million views. There is intense interest. The subject will be followed up. Your early response would be appreciated. If you could offer some help, it would be so appreciated and recognized. With hope and kindest regards, Flinty Maguire www.cobaltchildren.org