A Chinese environmental group has said factories it believes are contracted to make Apple products are engaging in rampant pollution, and accused the US technology giant of turning a blind eye.
Apple does not disclose its suppliers in China, but the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs said plants it believed were making the company's products were discharging toxic substances, harming workers and local residents.
"The large volume of discharge in Apple's supply chain greatly endangers the public's health and safety," said the report released Wednesday by the IPE and several other Chinese environmental campaign groups.
"Through the process of our investigations, we discovered several suspected suppliers to Apple that have been the target of numerous complaints from local communities.
"Under the cover of Apple's annual auditing report, the company continues to issue contracts to polluting companies... so as to pursue blood-stained profits at the cost of the environment and communities," it said.
The IPE is run by Ma Jun, a former investigative journalist turned environmental campaigner who was named by Time magazine in 2006 as one of the world's 100 most influential people.
Apple products such as iPhones and iPads are hugely popular among China's growing middle class, and the company says its four stores in the Chinese cities of Beijing and Shanghai are its most profitable in the world.
Ma told AFP his group had received an email from Apple on Wednesday asking for direct talks, an unusual move for the technology giant and an indication of how damaging the allegations could be.
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AFP: Apple's China 'suppliers' under fire for pollution
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