Human rights or corporate interests?: hidden agenda of companies involved in Congo-lobby
The past few years, a considerable lobby has come up protesting the trade in minerals produced with child labour or other human rights abuses, especially when minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo are concerned….
Killing the economy in the name of peace? Pole Institute reflects upon the new US “conflict minerals” legislation for the DRC
Hidden away in an ambitious piece of financial sector reform legislation, the US Congress has passed a law aiming to cut the link between mineral trade and persistent conflict in Eastern DRC. It is a…
makeITfair and Pole Institute organise round table on conflict minerals in Goma, DRC
On 1-2 December, makeITfair and the Goma-based Pole Institute are organising a round table on the issue of conflict minerals. The aim of this round table is to provide a platform of input sharing between…
Foxconn plant South India temporarily shuts down due to occupational health incident
Friday 23 July, Foxconn’s Sunguvarchatram plant in Tamil Nadu, South India, was temporarily shut down due to an occupational health incident involving approximately 250 workers. The Tamil Nadu state government ordered the closure of the…
The IT Industry has a critical duty to prevent heavy metal pollution, concludes report
Concerned about alarming reports on heavy metal pollution incidents, Chinese environmental organisations have engaged upon an extensive research project, with a specific focus on IT product manufacture-related heavy metal discharge, especially the battery industry relating…
Vodafone to place greater focus on recycling&reusing mobile phones due to SOMO study
Vodafone will place greater focus on recycling & reusing mobile phones due to SOMO study ‘Fair Phones: it’s your call’, promises the company in its 2009/2010 sustainability report.In its 2009/2010 Sustainability Report, Vodafone writes to…
Red Dust – documentary on cadmium poisoning in Chinese women battery workers
20-minute documentary Red Dust chronicles the struggle for justice by women workers in China who have been poisoned by cadmium while manufacturing nickel-cadmium batteries. Red cadmium dust drifted freely in China’s nickel-cadmium battery factories owned…
International investor coalition urgently calls for improved working conditions in electronics manufacturing facilities
In light of a series of suicides at the Foxconn Electronics facility in China, a broad coalition of over 40 European, Australian and U.S. investors have joined their voices to issue a public statement condemning…
Updated Chinese version of ‘Reset. CSR in the global electronics supply chain’
In October 2009, GoodElectronics together with the Dutch CSR Platform published ‘Reset. Corporate Social responsibility in the global electronics supply chain’. This publication offers an overview of CSR issues that are relevant for the global…