


One study found workers-many of them children-working in unsafe conditions, digging tin out by hand in mines prone to landslides that could bury workers alive. Although there are mines that source tin ethically, there are also many that do not. Most of the component sourcing and factory production is done overseas in conditions that critics have argued are dangerous to workers and harmful to the environment.įor example, tin is a major component in Apple’s products and much of it is sourced in Indonesia. Similar to many products sold in the U.S., Apple does not manufacture most its goods domestically.

Despite its consistent financial performance year over year, Apple’s robust profit margin hides a more complicated set of business ethics. Demand like this meant that Apple was in line to make over $52 billion in profits in 2015, the largest annual profit ever generated from a company’s operations. During the 2014 holiday season, 74.5 million iPhones were sold. With its highly coveted line of consumer electronics, Apple has a cult following among loyal consumers.
