Last Updated:
1/18/21 4:15 PM
overall rating:
keep going
Apple
Internal Representation & Support
68%
Public Commitment
68%
External Communication
69%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
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Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
In January 2021, Apple announced an update to their Racial Equity & Justice Initiative (REJI), committing to creation of a learning hub for HBCUs, a coding academy for students in Detroit, and VC funding for Black & Brown entrepreneurs.
Lowlights
Other than updates posted to Tim Cook's own personal Twitter account, Apple does not take advantage of their massive social media platform (over 25 million Instagram followers) to explicitly discuss anti-racism.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
12% - 13% Black, 36% - 40% BIPOC, 36% - 40% Women
Executive Leadership:
6% - 7% Black, 16% - 20% BIPOC, 21% - 25% Women
8% - 9% Black, > 40% BIPOC, 31% - 35% Women
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization, A Black employee resource group
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Apple has pledged a donation of 0.01% - 0.09% of annual revenue towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, Apple has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, sponsorship of individuals who use their platform to speak out on racial injustice, sponsorship of events, and matching donations to a broad range of qualifying organizations. Apple is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and people living with disabilities.
III. External Communications
Apple has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice The public statement acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company and included specific calls to action, but did not explicitly state "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 10% - 20% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeming performative in nature. While the brand does not regularly feature models in their social media posts, they have shown support of the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride on social media but there is little to no evidence of inclusivity towards other marginalized communities.
