As many as 40,000 signatures have been received by SumOfUs, a group petitioning for an ethical iPhone 5.
The petition revolves around work conditions in China and depicts that country’s underage workers allegedly being subjected to harmful compounds during the manufacturing process of iPhone.
The petition also urges Apple to be more ethical.
Apple, on its part, disputed the claims and said that everything on the production floor runs according to internationally accepted standards.
Another petition on the same issue is also doing the rounds on Change.org, according to the BBC.
According to the New York Times report, there were many instances where Apple had not reacted to fast enough to save lives, even though they were reportedly warned about problems in their units.
Apple said, in its defence, that it carries a detailed study of the supply chain to track wear and tear of materials and excessive dust of poisonous materials such as aluminium.
Reports say Apple’s internal audit does also reveal ‘abuses’ related to its working conditions.
