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| Forced labor accusations go after an Apple supplier |
Lens Technology has joined a growing list of Apple suppliers who allegedly have forced forced labor at its manufacturing facilities and added a new review of Apple's human rights record in China.
According to the Technology Transparency Project, thousands of Uyghur workers from the Muslim-majority Xinjiang region have been sent to work for Lens Technology.
An Apple spokesperson denied the report, saying in a statement that Lance Technology had not received job transfers from Uyghur workers in Xinjiang, adding that the company had a zero-tolerance policy on forced labor.
The spokesperson said: Any violation of our policies has immediate consequences, including termination of potential work. Our goal is to make everyone worthy and respectful. We will continue to do our best to protect workers in the supply chain.
However, the Technology Transparency Project challenged Apple's claims to closely monitor the supply chain, claiming that it had found clear evidence of forced labor online.
An article in Chinese media reported that after the closure of civil aviation in China during the epidemic, Uyghur workers who were dispatched to the technology factory in Lens were among the first to take charter flights.
Another article explained how the workforce transfer program sent workers to Hunan Lance Technology Center.
The documents disclosed as part of the Technology Transparency project did not provide detailed information on specific working conditions at the Lens Technology factory, which employs 100,000 people.
Lens Technology has a long history of providing Apple lenses and related glass components for the iPhone. The company also supplies the lenses to other tech companies such as Tesla and Amazon.
The company also works with several other Apple supplier partners who have allegedly benefited from forced labor in China.
Apple reportedly suspended its supplier O-Film in early 2020 due to alleged human rights violations.
Apple said it is conducting ongoing reviews of the supply chain and those investigations have found no evidence of human rights violations.
Apple is believed to be one of several companies opposing a bill that would prevent US companies from importing forced labor into China.
A report released earlier in December stated that Apple had ignored business problems in its supply chain.
China believes the job transfer program is a way to reduce poverty, but Uyghur workers have told human rights groups that they can choose to work in remote areas or send them to detention centers.