Boston, MA 08/18/2014 (wallstreetpr) – Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), the famous Cupertino company that makes the famous iPhone and iPad devices, wants to behave like its namesake fruit – apple. For the sake of the health of workers at the factories where its device components are produced, the company has issued a ban on the use of two chemicals, namely benzene and n-hexane, which are deemed toxic and harmful to life when workers are exposed to beyond the recommended levels.
Shares of Apple gained 0.49% to close at $97.98 on Friday. The company’s share price is up more than 22% this year.
Out of assembly room
Talking about chemical ban, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) has asked its suppliers to stop the use of the two toxic chemicals in the final assembly, but they can use them in the early stages of manufacturing. The new directive to suppliers comes just when the company is expected to unveil its latest version of smartphone known as iPhone 6. The new iPhone is highly anticipated, and investors have also been actively betting on the stock because of the new product and some more that are expected this year.
Most of Apple’s component suppliers are in China and the move to ban benzene and h-hexane in the assembly process appears to be intended to appease activists that have long-questioned the use of toxic chemicals in manufacturing factories associated with Apple. They claim that such chemicals have not only caused sickness in the workers but also driven some to suicide.
However, according to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), a probe into the factories that supply it in China did not reveal any chemical violation. Nonetheless, the company deemed it right to tighten the rule on proper chemical use, especially with regards to benzene and n-hexane. Apple takes issues of workplace seriously, and the company urges its component suppliers to maintain the highest workplace standards. According to the company, curbing the use of toxic chemicals not only help keep workers at a factory safe, but also helps control the quality of water and the environment.
