A recent update to Apple’s Supplier Responsibility page reveals that concerns over the use of illegally mined tin in its products has led the company to lead a fact-finding mission in Indonesia.
First spotted by The Verge, Apple added a brief paragraph to its Supplier Responsibility webpage, explaining that “recent concerns” over illegal tin mining in Bangka Island, Indonesia called for a fact-finding visit to the region.
Apple has also set up a specialized environmental working group in conjunction with the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) to deal with the issue. The company is also helping fund a new study about mining in the region to “better understand the situation.”
Apple says 249 of its suppliers use tin in their products, and the metal is sourced from 64 tin smelters. The company’s smelter list is constantly changing.
While it hasn’t been specified which products might contain the illegally mined tin, a large number of Apple’s devices do contain the metal.
