GoodElectronics is proudly welcoming two new members: Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) from South Korea and Closing the Loop from the Netherlands. Want to join as well? Fill out the application form on our website.

Advocates for Public Interest Law (APIL) is a non-profit lawyers’ organization seeking to defend the human rights of refugees, victims of human trafficking, stateless persons, and long-term detained migrants and human rights victims committed by Korean corporations. APIL was established in 2011. One of the things the organisation has been working on is reforming the Korean NCP which has been malfunctioning. APIL has filed several instances including Posco India and Daewoo Uzb.

In addition, APIL currently serves as the secretariat of Korea Trans-National Corporation Watch (KTNC Watch), a coalition composed of ngo’s, trade unions and public interest lawyers. KTNC has conducted on-site investigations on human rights violations committed by Korean companies in several countries, including Bangladesh, Uzbekistan, Cambodia and the Philippines.

Closing the Loop maximizes the reuse & recycling of these phones worldwide, through pragmatic projects. They give high quality mobile phones a second life in Africa or Asia, where they also collect ‘end-of-life’ scrap phones for recycling, done in Europe. The goal is to rescue every mobile phone from dump sites and create jobs in developing countries at the same time.

Closing the Loop is proving that collecting and recycling mobile phones from Africa and Asia can be done in a profitable way. They involve smelters, scrap dealers, mobile phone (repair) shops, manufacturers, operators, NGO ‘s, and local partners in our mission. Closing the Loop brings them together and creates a win-win situation for everybody. Closing The Loop operates from Amsterdam, The Netherlands, but has active partners in six countries.