March 1, 2010 – Apple Inc. held their annual shareholders meeting this past Thursday, during which two proposals regarding a sustainability report and an amendment to establish a Board committee on sustainability were voted against.

The first proposal was that Apple prepare sustainability reports and use the Carbon Disclosure Project to report their environmental policies and how climate change may effect their competitiveness in the market.  This was shot down because the board states that Apple “has been working proactively for years to reduce the environmental impact of its corporate operations as well as the manufacturing and use of its products.”  Many details are disclosed on the company’s website. 

The second proposal was that Apple establish a board of directors sustainability committee to “ensure Apple’s sustained viability in the face of changing conditions an knowledge of the natural environment, including natural resource limitations, energy use, waste disposal, and climate change.”  Again, Apple maintains such a committee would not be any more effective than current and ongoing efforts, and is unnecessary. Apple’s 2010 proxy statement details all proposals discussed at the meeting.

Sparking a long Q&A session immediately following the refused proposals, Apple CEO Steve Jobs, COO Tim Cook, and CFO Peter Oppenheimer were quick to defend their decision.  Jobs made note that while “other companies just make promises” and attend conferences to “schmooze with [environmental groups]”; Apple actually gets work done by working directly with suppliers to improve environmental credentials and worker protection issues.  Cook added that the company made over 100 supplier audits in 2009, in which half said Apple was the only company that ever performed audits. 

The Apple execs also agreed that being green is good for business, which is why the company is the industry leader regarding recycling, reducing toxins, workers’ rights, and smaller product boxes, adding they’ve reduced the number of cargo flights needed each year by the hundreds.          

Jobs concludes the meeting: "Apple requires stability in the world. People aren't going to worry about which laptop to buy if they can't afford dinner, can't afford to send their kids to school, and can’t afford textbooks. There are things much bigger than us that are out of our control. So we try to just do the best we can."