Better Health for All

Apple's core products, including the Apple Watch, iPhone, and AirPods, integrate features that provide substantial health benefits. The Apple Watch's Heart app accurately detects atrial fibrillation in 84% of cases

and the Series 10 can detect moderate to severe sleep apnea signs . AirPods Pro 2 received FDA approval to function as over-the-counter hearing aids , supporting access to health services. Apple is also developing noninvasive blood glucose monitoring technology . The company demonstrates a commitment to mental wellness by developing an AI-powered mood tracker , launching virtual studies to explore physical and mental health connections , and introducing features in the Mindfulness app for logging emotions and daily moods . There is no evidence of revenue from products with negative health outcomes or significant negative health externalities from operations.

Fair Money & Economic Opportunity

The CFPB penalized Apple $25 million in October 2024 for unfair and deceptive practices related to the Apple Card.

Regarding its financial products, the Apple Card offers a 0% APR option for monthly installments on eligible products and charges no late fees. Its variable APR on new accounts ranges from 17.49% to 27.74%, which is below the 36% threshold for high-cost products. Through its Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, Apple committed over $100 million in overall financing to diverse businesses and financial institutions. This commitment represents approximately 0.081% of Apple's fiscal year 2024 pre-tax profit of $123.485 billion.

Fair Pay & Worker Respect

Apple settled a $25 million agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice in November 2023 for discriminatory hiring practices based on citizenship status.

In June 2024, Apple faced a proposed class action lawsuit alleging underpayment of over 12,000 female employees in its AppleCare, engineering, and marketing departments. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has accused Apple of stifling employee discussions on pay and forcing an engineer to quit in November 2024. The NLRB also filed complaints in November 2023 and May 2023 regarding Apple's alleged denial of benefits to unionized workers and anti-union practices, including questioning employees and confiscating union flyers. Employees at Apple's Towson, Maryland store, who unionized in June 2022, authorized a strike in May 2024 over working conditions, including unpredictable scheduling and wages not aligned with the local cost of living, though a provisional agreement was reached in July 2024. In its supply chain, Apple reported 10 core violations in 2024 and 5 in FY2023, primarily falsification of working hours data and health and safety issues. Apple's suppliers have repaid over $34.5 million in recruitment fees to more than 37,700 workers since 2008, and Apple found no instances of forced labor in its supply chain in 2023 and 2024. However, a Foxconn factory, an Apple supplier, was accused in June 2024 of systematically excluding married women from iPhone assembly jobs in India. Investigations in 2021 and 2023 also revealed safety violations, labor law breaches, excessive overtime, and workplace harassment at Foxconn and Pegatron supplier factories. A U.S. federal appeals court ruled in March 2024 in favor of Apple, rejecting claims of liability for child labor in cobalt mining operations.

Fair Trade & Ethical Sourcing

Apple's independent, third-party assessments in 2023 found zero instances of forced labor in its supply chain.

The company conducts 893 independent, third-party assessments in over 50 countries, including 203 unannounced assessments. Over 65,000 people were interviewed, and more than 516,000 employees were surveyed about their workplace experience in 2023. Apple's suppliers have repaid over $34.5 million in recruitment fees to more than 37,700 workers since 2008, with $263,870 repaid to 53 workers in 2023. All of Apple's suppliers are required to abide by its Supplier Code of Conduct, which mandates adherence to stringent labor and human rights standards. The company conducts independent, third-party assessments to ensure compliance, and since 2020, 11% of prospective suppliers have been prevented from entering the supply chain for failing to meet the Code's requirements.

Honest & Fair Business

Apple Inc. was fined over €1.8 billion by the European Commission on March 4, 2024, for breaching EU competition laws related to its App Store practices, specifically anti-steering provisions.

The U.S. government also filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against Apple on March 21, 2024, alleging monopolization in smartphone markets. Additionally, the European Commission opened formal noncompliance investigations against Apple on March 25, 2024, and June 24, 2024, related to App Store rules. Apple is challenging an Indian law that could lead to a fine of up to $38 billion based on global turnover, following a 2023 report by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) alleging 'abusive conduct' on the iOS apps market. Apple has a Global Whistleblowing Policy, updated in April 2025, which applies to current and former employees, directors, officers, contractors, and subcontractors of Apple and its subsidiaries. The policy provides multiple reporting channels, including an external helpline for anonymous reporting where permissible, and allows concerns regarding accounting or auditing matters to be directed to the Audit and Finance Committee. It explicitly prohibits retaliation against individuals who report concerns in good faith and acknowledges employees' rights to raise concerns externally, including to government agencies. Apple's Anti-Corruption Policy, last updated in June 2018, prohibits all forms of corruption, including bribes, kickbacks, and facilitating payments. It requires due diligence before engaging third parties who interact with government officials and mandates accurate record-keeping for all transactions, especially those involving public officials. The policy includes a reporting mechanism and prohibits retaliation for reporting misconduct. In 2023, 98% of Apple employees completed the Business Conduct training, which includes the Anti-Corruption Policy.

Kind to Animals

Apple has phased out animal leather from all its products, including watchbands, wallets, and iPhone cases.

This material has been replaced with FineWoven, a textile made from 68% post-consumer recycled content. This action earned Apple PETA's 2023 Company of the Year award.

No War, No Weapons

Apple faces criminal complaints from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in 2026, alleging the company uses conflict minerals, covers up war crimes, and launders tainted minerals in its supply chain.

These serious allegations, coupled with the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) suspending ITSCI (a monitoring scheme Apple used) until at least 2026 , and Apple's own decision in June 2024 to suspend sourcing 3T minerals and gold from the DRC and Rwanda due to audit concerns , indicate significant issues with humanitarian procurement compliance. This also suggests major gaps in alignment with UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, despite Apple's public commitments. In 2026, Apple was accused of failing to comply with US sanctions, as its App Store contained 52 banned apps from sanctioned entities, including Russian banks and a Chinese paramilitary group. Apple removed the apps but disputes that hosting them broke US sanctions. This follows a 2019 fine for similar sanctions violations. Conversely, Apple conducts annual human rights due diligence, with 100% of identified 3TG smelters and refiners participating in independent third-party conflict minerals audits as of December 2024. The results of these war-risk audits are publicly available in its SEC filings. Apple also performs annual evaluations of all suppliers, and its 2024 Conflict Minerals Report found no conflict-linked smelters or refiners.

Planet-Friendly Business

Apple's total Scope 1, 2, and 3 greenhouse gas emissions were 15,036,700 tCO₂e in 2023.

The company has an SBTi-validated target to reduce emissions by 61.7% by fiscal year 2030 relative to 2019 emissions , and aims for carbon neutrality across its entire value chain by 2030 , having achieved carbon neutrality for corporate operations in 2020. In 2023, 90.25% of Apple's total energy consumption was sourced from renewables , with all its facilities powered by 100% renewable energy since 2018. Water withdrawn per revenue unit was 14.81 m³ per $1 million revenue based on 2022 water use and 2023 revenue, though 70% of corporate water use in 2024 occurred in areas with high basin stress. The waste diversion rate at corporate facilities was 70% in 2024. In 2024, 24% of the materials shipped in Apple products by weight came from recycled sources. Apple's CDP response indicates alignment with TCFD recommendations , and the company uses climate scenario analysis, including physical climate scenarios (RCP 8.5) and climate transition scenarios (IEA SDS).

Respect for Cultures & Communities

Apple's Community Education Initiative (CEI) engages with over 150 partners across 600 communities.

The company actively supports the protection and restoration of cultural and heritage sites, funding initiatives to conserve sacred tribal lands, restore sacred groves, and involve Indigenous youth in land conservation efforts. Apple also supports programs like Salmon Gold and Regeneration, which focus on restoring natural environments impacted by mining. Furthermore, Apple demonstrates strong language inclusivity by integrating iPad technology to revitalize First Nations languages and by displaying Indigenous lands in Apple Maps in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand, developed with Indigenous advisors. However, an article alleges that Apple Music's algorithms promote white artists over Black artists, describing this as "algorithmic payola" and "digital theft of Black culture."

Safe & Smart Tech

France's Antitrust Watchdog fined Apple €150 million in March 2025, stating its App Tracking Transparency feature was neither necessary nor proportionate.

Apple also settled a $95 million lawsuit in December 2024 alleging Siri recorded users without consent, though Apple denied the claims. Despite the fine, Apple proactively delayed its Apple Intelligence AI features in the EU until 2025 to address Digital Markets Act privacy concerns. Its privacy practices comply with the Global Cross-Border Privacy Rules (CBPR) System and the Global Privacy Recognition for Processors (PRP) System, and local laws in China. For encryption, Apple introduced the PQ3 protocol in February 2024 to fortify iMessage against quantum threats. In December 2022, it extended end-to-end encryption to additional iCloud data categories like Backups, Notes, and Photos. Regarding AI, Apple states it does not use algorithms for significant decisions without human review. It signed a voluntary commitment to manage AI risks in July 2024 and is working to address potential biases in Siri through diversified datasets and fairness measures. Its Private Cloud Compute (PCC) for Apple Intelligence, introduced in June 2024, is verified by independent experts. Apple Intelligence emphasizes on-device AI processing and PCC, designed for privacy with data processed without storage and inaccessible to Apple, an approach recognized for strong data protection standards. Users have rights to access, correct, transfer, restrict processing, and delete personal data via the Apple Data and Privacy page. iOS 17 updated Safari's Private Browsing to enhance privacy by locking windows, blocking trackers, and removing URL tracking information. Apple published a study in December 2023 stressing the need for end-to-end encryption.

Zero Waste & Sustainable Products

Apple's product packaging shipped in 2023 contained only 3% plastic, representing an 85.7% reduction in plastic content since 2015, with a target to remove all plastics from packaging by 2025.

In 2024, 24% of materials shipped in Apple products came from recycled or renewable sources , with ambitious targets for 100% recycled cobalt, rare earth elements, tin, and gold in products by 2025. The company's corporate facilities achieved a 74% waste diversion rate. Apple implements a comprehensive Supplier Zero Waste Program, with over 350 supplier facilities participating and a pilot for verification assessments. Waste reduction initiatives include a Supplier Zero Waste Program that redirected 3.6 million metric tons of waste from landfills since 2015 , reusable air filters in data centers preventing 25 tons of waste annually , and expanded Daisy disassembly robot capabilities for 36 iPhone models. Hazardous waste management includes audits of treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, and the company received the U.S. EPA Safer Choice Partner of the Year Award in 2023 for scaling safer process chemicals. Products demonstrate superior durability, with out-of-warranty repair rates declining by 38% between 2015 and 2022 , and hundreds of millions of iPhones remaining in use for over 5 years. Circular design principles are embedded in most product lines, focusing on durability, modularity, and repairability, such as the iPhone 15 having 11 repairable modules. However, third-party reports indicate low repairability scores for MacBooks and a retroactive downgrade for iPhones due to software repair barriers.