Apple chief executive Tim Cook said buy timberland on Tuesday that ensuring safe working conditions at plants making its coveted gadgets is a priority, as an audit of a key supplier continued in China.
'Apple takes working conditions timberland jackets very seriously and we have for a very long time,' Mr Cook said during an on-stage interview at a Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet Conference in San Francisco.
'We know people have a high expectation of Apple; we have an even higher expectation of timberland outlet ourselves.' Mr Cook's comments came a day after a labour watchdog group began sanctioned checks of working conditions at a massive Foxconn plant in southern China that makes products for the California-based gadget-maker.
Apple agreed last month to allow cheap timberland inspections by the Fair Labour Association (FLA) following reports that employees were overworked and underpaid at Foxconn factories in China.