Apple

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Published on Sunday, 29 November -0001 16:00
Written by editor

A,

SumOfUs members have put the world’s most valuable company on notice. Again.

At Friday’s AGM, 34% Apple investors defied the company’s instructions and voted for our shareholder proposal on forced labor. Even the world’s largest sovereign wealth fund -- Norway's, at $1.3 trillion -- voted with us.

It’s a vote tally that sends a clear message to Apple bosses that they have to take serious steps to protect the workers in its supply chain who make components for your iPhone and MacBook.

Just two years ago our proposal secured 40% investor support and a few months later Apple published its first ever human rights policy.

Now, it has to live up to its promises on forced labor.

We were everywhere Apple bosses turned during their big week. Two days before the AGM, we released a video of real Apple customers reacting to the news that Apple products are implicated in forced labor, that was seen a staggering 841 thousand times in total.

Have you seen it yet? You can watch the video on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.

video still with... play button of two men wearing face coverings having a conversation in a shopping street with subtitles saying what if I told you that Apple is actually complicit

But we didn’t give Tim Cook a break. On the day of the AGM we installed a mock Uyghur forced labor camp right outside Apple’s flagship Washington DC store.

Three people facing the camera in plain white carnival mask with a neutral expression covering the whole face with cut outs for eyes They are wearing blue tops with black sleeves The two people either side are holding boxes of apple products with gloved hands There is a banner between them reading 181633 SumOfUs member said Apple stop using Uyghur forced labour They are standing behind five strands of barbed wire in front of an Apple store with the company logo prominently displayed

The AGM itself was via video conference, so no trip to California this year! The SumOfUs member proposal was presented at the meeting by our friend Zumretay from World Uyghur Congress.

Watch the recording of her speech on Facebook, or Twitter.

video still of Uyghur woman with long dark hair wearing a black high neck jumper and gold necklace against a light background facing the camera She is speaking and subtitles read Apple needs to show that its procedures are robust enough

Seven SumOfUs members came together to take action after reports of instances of forced labor surfaced.

After they filed the resolution, Apple exces tried and failed to stop investors from discussing it. But it still got support from Norway’s $1.3tn wealth fund, and backing from influential corporate governance advisors, ISS.

And with over a third of investors supporting us, Apple knows it needs to show real action to avoid a huge backlash before the next AGM rolls around. We’ve even cheekily made a start on its video announcement for when it does… Take a peek on YouTube, Facebook, or Twitter.

Anthropologist Margaret Mead is often quoted as saying, never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.

From securing tough climate commitments at Canadian banks, to pushing Apple to live up to its human rights values, the SumOfUs Stocks for Change programme is that sentiment in action. Would you like to be part of it?

If you’d like to put your stockholdings to work for good, let us know by filling out this simple form here and we’ll be in touch.

You could be the next person to drive corporate change for a better world.

join here

Thanks for all that you do,
Sondhya, Vicky and the team at SumOfUs


More information:

Apple loses bid at SEC to block three shareholder proposals, Financial Times, 22 December 2021 (paywall)
ISS supports Apple shareholder proposal on forced labor, Reuters, 18 February 2022
Largest sovereign wealth fund plans to vote against Tim Cook's $99M pay, AppleInsider, 27 February 2022
Apple shareholders approve CEO Cook's annual compensation, civil rights proposal, Reuters, 4 March 2022

SumOfUs is a community of people from around the world committed to curbing the growing power of corporations. We want to buy from, work for and invest in companies that respect the environment, treat their workers well and respect democracy. And we’re not afraid to stand up to them when they don’t.

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