On March 4, 2022, Apple will hold its annual general meeting, and investors are expected to vote on several resolutions. This year, the SumOfUs community has filed a resolution which calls on Apple to produce a report about forced labor in its supply chain. 

It has been reported that at least nine companies in Apple’s supply chain participate in the government of China’s forced labor program. 

It’s also been reported that millions of Uyghurs and other Turkic muslims are being forced into internment camps and labor programs. The US Congress just passed new laws that ban goods made in the Uyghur region because of forced labor -- more countries could follow suit. This kind of regulatory action poses a serious risk to Apple’s supply chain if it does not clean up its act, quickly. 

We strongly urge all Apple shareholders to vote in favor of Resolution 7. The full resolution text is here.

AGM: March 4, 2022 Proxy vote deadline: March 3, 2022

Why trust SumOfUs? We are an international corporate accountability organization with 20 million subscribers worldwide. We run campaigns, including through shareholder activism, to hold corporations to account for their various abuses - from workers rights to supply chains to environmental protection.

We know this works. In 2020, 13 SumOfUs shareholders co-filed a resolution with Apple calling for a human rights policy. We managed to mobilize an unprecedented number of shareholders to vote, and received 40% in favor of our resolution. While it didn’t pass a majority, it was enough of a signal to Apple that investors were expecting action. Soon after the AGM, Apple announced it would implement its first ever human rights policy.

We can do it again. But we need the help of investors everywhere. 

Vote in favor of Resolution 7!