been taken to prevent a reoccurrence. We prohibit retaliation of any kind against supplier employees who participate in our assessments. Our goal is to work together with suppliers to help them improve their management systems, rather than to simply remove them from our supply chain without helping them correct the issues we have discovered. In the event that a supplier is unwilling or unable to improve their operations to meet our requirements, they risk removal from our supply chain. Since 2009, we have directed the removal of 24 manufacturing supplier facilities and 170 smelters and refiners from our supply chain for being unwilling or unable to sufficiently improve their operations to meet our requirements. Results of our assessments are detailed in our People and Environment in Our Supply Chain Report beginning on page 91. A responsibility that grows with our business As Apple’s business continues to grow and expand to new areas, we adapt our supplier engagement model accordingly. This includes continuing to expand our scope to conduct independent, third-party assessments of a growing number of suppliers that support our business outside of manufacturing. Last year, we increased our engagement and expanded the application of our Code and Standards to suppliers supporting newer areas of Apple’s business, including those that work with our content services like Apple TV+ and Apple Fitness+. Supplier employees at Final Assembly in the U.S. How we stay engaged with suppliers widely used by the industry. A total of 99 RBA VAP assessments were completed in fiscal year 2021 at Apple supplier sites. If we uncover non-compliance in the course of any assessment or engagement, we take prompt action so that suppliers not only correct and remedy the issue, but make meaningful, long-term changes to their systems and processes. We do this through a Corrective Action Plan (CAP), during which 30-, 60-, and 90-day check-ins with Apple are required. We then conduct our Corrective Action Verification (CAV) process to verify that all corrective actions have been successfully implemented, and necessary steps have Code of conduct assessments Specialized assessments Investigations Capability building Ongoing training Early engagement These assessments also include unannounced assessments and unannounced visits in response to workers’ grievances and allegations, or to verify risks at supplier facilities based on predictive analytics. In fiscal year 2021, 211 unannounced assessments and investigations were conducted where the supplier facility was provided no advance notice of our arrival. This is nearly double the number conducted in 2020. In addition to third-party Code of Conduct assessments, we require many of our suppliers to also undergo the Responsible Business Alliance’s (RBA) Validated Assessment Program (VAP), a facility-wide, third-party assessment Appendix Governance Communities Suppliers Customers Our People Environment Introduction Apple’s 2022 ESG Report 39