Apple: Supplies don't come from war zones

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple released on Thursday its supplier responsibility report, and the company said its hardware factories did not use any tantalum, a metal commonly used in electronics, from areas engaged in warfare.

Some warlords, particularly in the Democratic Republic of Congo, have profited from the sale of ores containing tantalum, tungsten, tin and gold to suppliers that make parts for electronics. A grass-roots campaign has been pressing technology giants to keep minerals from those areas - often called conflict minerals - out of their supply chains.

Nokia spoke up about conflict minerals two years ago and published a list of steps it was taking to avoid transactions involving conflict minerals.

In its report, Apple also said that it was trying to put an end to excessively long workweeks. It said that last year it drove suppliers to an average of 95 percent compliance with its standard for a maximum workweek of 60 hours, up from 92 percent compliance the previous year.

"Workweeks exceeding 60 hours have been a persistent problem

for the electronics industry, and reducing excessive overtime remains a priority for Apple," the company said in its report. "We limit workweeks to 60 hours, except in unusual circumstances. And all overtime must be absolutely voluntary."

Apple said it was investing in helping workers throughout its supply chain better understand their rights. It said that last year, more than 280,000 people at 18 supplier sites took courses offered through its free education program, and suppliers trained about 1.5 million workers on their rights.

Apple released a list of its major suppliers as part of its supplier responsibility report for the first time two years ago, following other corporations like Hewlett-Packard, Intel and Nike, which have released similar lists.

This is the eighth such report that Apple has released. The company started conducting audits and publishing reports in 2007 after media reports of poor working conditions at Foxconn, a Chinese manufacturer of products for Apple, Sony, Microsoft and others.

Apple's 2011 report showed that 137 workers had been seriously injured after cleaning iPad screens with n-hexane, a toxic chemical that can cause nerve damage and paralysis. The year before, there were several suicides among Foxconn workers.