Suzhou , China ( CNN ) -- In the shadow of the bustling Kaedar Electronics plant a brightly colored kindergarten sits somewhat incongruously , its playground usually empty . `` Teachers always keep the windows shut , '' explained 3-year-old Wei Xiwei , who attends the community facility but is rarely allowed outdoors . In Tongxin , a small village on the other side of the factory , the young have long gone , leaving only the old and frail behind . `` If we do n't get moved out , I 'll just die here soon , '' said 75-year-old Lu Baoyun . Young and old , locals living around the Kaedar plant near Shanghai in eastern China , blame the same thing for disrupting their lives : fumes from the factory . Residents say the strong odor sickens them . Kaedar reportedly produces casings for Apple 's popular iPhone . With the help of concerned citizens , a coalition of grassroots environmental groups tracked alleged polluters like Kaedar during a seven-month investigation and recently published their findings in a 46-page report titled `` The Other Side of Apple ( Part II ) . '' `` They say they are committed to ensuring the highest standards of social responsibility , '' said Ma Jun , director of the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs who led the effort . `` If they ca n't manage their supply chain , it 's just empty talk . '' Contacted by CNN , Apple declined to name its suppliers in China but past news reports indicated Kaedar and many of the 21 other companies listed in the environmentalists ' report manufacture parts for various Apple products . Apple insists it requires that suppliers `` use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever Apple products are made . '' Kaedar would not comment for this report . The activists also produced a video that features accusations from people living near what they say are Apple suppliers in various parts of the country . In one part , a fisherman in central China is seen rowing his boat along a small river discolored with a yellow hue , allegedly the discharge from two local factories - one believed to be an Apple supplier . Apple declined to address specific allegations and referred CNN to its latest progress report on supplier responsibility . In the document , the company stressed that it aggressively monitors factories in its supply chain with regular , on-site audits . Apple also said it addresses relevant issues with nongovernmental organizations and industry groups . Ma said Apple has talked to his organization and he was encouraged by the company 's follow-up . But he emphasized public scrutiny is the key in combating environmental violations and said his group will continue to name and shame big brands . Some 30 kilometers west of Tongxin Village , in an industrial park dotted with factories churning out electronics for the global market , residents at the Phoenix City high-rise housing complex echo the activists ' sentiment . They have been complaining about the same problem as the Tongxin villagers , from Catcher-Topo , an expanding electronics plant right next to their apartments and reportedly another Apple supplier . `` Health ca n't be the price of wealth , right ? '' said resident Miller Xu . `` In a few decades , if your health is ruined , it would n't matter how much money you have . '' The 33-year-old engineer said he is considering moving so that his toddler son would not have to breathe what he believes is `` toxic air . '' He added the residents ' experience has given many pause for buying Apple products . Apple has seen phenomenal sales growth in China and opened Asia 's largest Apple Store in Shanghai last week . The company announced in July its revenue from Greater China reached $ 8.8 billion for the first three quarters of this fiscal year , an increase of more than sixfold compared to the same period last year . `` I do n't have an iPad or an iPhone mainly because I ca n't afford them , '' Xu said . `` But I heard many people here are boycotting the iPhone - and this factory is not the only Apple supplier with pollution problems . '' CNN contacted Catcher-Topo for comments but the company declined . Officials in Suzhou , where the Catcher-Topo and Kaedar plants are located , said local factories are regularly inspected and all have met China 's environmental protection code . Residents remain skeptical , however . `` Ordinary people 's words are totally worthless to the authorities , '' said Lu , the elderly villager in Tongxin . `` There is simply nothing we can do . '' CNN 's Eunice Yoon and Xiaoni Chen contributed to this report .
Some of Apple 's suppliers in China are accused of the polluting the environment . Technology giant says it is committed to ensuring highest standards of social responsibility . Apple Store widely popular in China and has just opened Greater China 's largest Apple in U.S. . The Shanghai company has agreed to work with the green activists after recent talks .