The hardware manufacturing process is not an easy one, and it had also received a fair amount of criticism over the years when it concerns the working conditions of manufacturing plants overseas, especially where companies like Apple are concerned. It is nice to know then, that after all the furore was raised, Apple has done some bit in raising wages as well as attempts to place a limit on the working hours. This time around, Apple takes another step in the right direction by announcing a ban on a couple of hazardous chemicals in overseas manufacturing plants.
This did not come about by enlightenment where Apple’s suits are concerned, as the Cupertino company has been under pressure by China Labor Watch and Green America from March onward concerning the continued use of benzene and n-hexane in manufacturing. These two chemicals have long been linked to health problems, and the industry also provides far superior alternatives.
Just so that everyone is on the same page, benzene happens to be a cleaning agent, and n-hexane is a solvent. The former is a known carcinogen that causes leukemia, while n-hexane has been linked to nerve damage. So far, Apple’s investigation points to four of the 22 manufacturers used by Apple being “guilty” of using said chemicals, albeit the usage were within designated safety limits.
Better being safe than sorry, Apple has put forward their instruction to ban these chemicals when it comes to the final stages of iOS and Mac product assembly.
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