Apple, Dell and HP perform well on the disclosure of environmental and social issues in their supply chain including the level of child labour, health and safety and hazardous substances, while those headquartered in Asia including Canon, Panasonic and Samsung, are less transparent according to a new report from independent analyst firm Verdantix. The 12 organisations in this report with aggregate revenues of $977 billion – Apple, Canon, Dell, Hitachi, HP, LG Electronics, Microsoft, Nokia, Panasonic , Samsung, Sony, Toshiba – show a heavy contrast as to how much data they disclose regarding their sustainable supply chain programmes.

‘’If consumers want to buy their Christmas gifts from organisations who are being transparent about the social and environmental issues in their supply chains they should buy from – Apple, Dell and HP’’ commented David Metcalfe, CEO of Verdantix. ‘’These brands have gone beyond adhering to the standards of the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition and have put in place their own audit programmes. These leading firms also disclose a plethora of data on supplier compliance to their code of conduct showing willingness to confront the inherent challenges of a sustainable supply chain in markets with low regulatory standards such as China.’’

Firms such as Canon, Hitachi and Samsung are not only not disclosing their social and environmental supply chain issues but are not auditing and engaging their suppliers to the same extent as the leading US firms.

The Sustainable Supply Chain Benchmark: Consumer Electronics report uses a Verdantix benchmark methodology to cut through the complexity of sustainable supply chain programmes and assist decision-makers to understand where and how to improve performance. Three categories of consumer electronics supply chain strategies have been identified using the Verdantix supply chain benchmark methodology: leading, opportunistic, and baseline strategies. These strategies vary on the standards set for suppliers, audit programmes and disclosures, and engagement initiatives.

‘’Investors, NGOs, the media and consumers are increasingly holding global consumer electronics firms to account for the social and environmental issues in their supply chain’’ commented Abbie Curtis, Verdantix Analyst and author of the report. ‘’Firms that aren’t prioritizing on disclosure need to step up to the mark as reputational risk will only increase given the increasing demand for transparency.’’

Note To Editors

Verdantix is an independent analyst firm. We provide authoritative data, analysis and advice to help our clients resolve their energy, environment and sustainability challenges. Through our global primary research and deep domain expertise we provide our clients with strategic advice, revenue generating services, best practice frameworks, industry connections and competitive advantage.

For further information, please visit www.verdantix.com.