tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703295898291507849.post624450540186114253..comments2009-01-08T15:32:02.327+00:00Comments on tide turners: is your mobile fuelling war in the Congo?tide turnershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06711441442849929224noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703295898291507849.post-76157418858509133442007-07-06T18:06:00.000+00:002007-07-06T18:06:00.000+00:00update from my friend:Actually, the generally acce...update from my friend:<BR/><BR/>Actually, the generally accepted figure is that 80% of Coltan comes from DRC – almost all of which is illegal (even if mined by state-sanctioned companies in DRC, it’s not exactly going to be done in model conditions – it’s simply from the mercenaries who happen to be in government favour at the time) so there’s a 4 in 5 chance that any mobile phone is a ‘blood mobile’, as some pressure groups are calling them. According to Ethical Consumer, there is not one single mobile company which reveals its sources, so presumably they all use DRC Coltan. The public campaign against them is so small, and so few people boycott them, that they have absolutely no incentive whatsoever to alter their supply chains. Governments won’t do anything – above tax and employment from the companies, the UK made £3 billion from the mobile phone companies from the sale of the 3G licenses. And you only need to sit on a London bus for five minutes to see how important mobiles have become to people’s psychosocial identities.<BR/><BR/>looking forward to see you tomorrow! xK.Kathrynhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01817042743284330482noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2703295898291507849.post-24958155138935950692007-07-06T15:16:00.000+00:002007-07-06T15:16:00.000+00:00Thanks Kathryn. A thought provoking piece. Highlig...Thanks Kathryn. A thought provoking piece. Highlights the issue of identifying people all along the supply chain and lifecycle of a product. I doubt I'll give up my mobile (will you?) or my computer, but I will ask Sony Ericsson and Apple what they are doing about it, if anything.<BR/><BR/>But...this raises a larger issue about where we create our frameworks for an ethical life? It strikes me that if I avoided every good that exploited both human rights and Gaia's rights, that I wouldn't be doing very much at all and I'd have no way to generate a living income. For more discussion?Eric the Redhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04435987628663006325noreply@blogger.com