Ethical phones

Tim Robbins

Hi,
I have stories about ethical issues vis a vi coltan put into mobile phones.
Anybody shed any light? Also, is the mobile phone manufactured under ethical principles?
Thanks.

Gillo

Care to expand a bit.

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but do you mean ethically manufactured phone?

towel401

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Hi,
Also, is the mobile phone manufactured under ethical principles?
Thanks.

No, they are slapped together by underpaid slaves in third world countries, designed to break when the warranty expires and the manufacturing process causes large amounts of pollution. this is true for all mobile phones

O2_Daryll

You might find your answer here

Tim Robbins

Talk2O2: Daryll wrote: »

You might find your answer here

I had a subscription with that company and I find the information they provide very fuzzy. There's a free mobile phone report where they only give Nokia a 7 / 20 but yet recommend them as the most ethical mobile phone.

godskitchen

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I had a subscription with that company and I find the information they provide very fuzzy. There's a free mobile phone report where they only give Nokia a 7 / 20 but yet recommend them as the most ethical mobile phone.

Ethical mobile phone? You will not find one.

The truth is, none of the major phone manufactures will ever manufacture an "Ethical" mobile phone..............for two reasons....

People just do not care enough and cost.

People really do not care enough about the environment to demand a phone that is built "sustainably" (I hate that over used word). Until people vote with their money, nothing will change.

As long as Apple and the rest of them can get away with using damaging chemicals and manufacturing processes they will continue to do so.

They claim it will cost them too much to change their manufacturing processes, I bet they would soon change if people stopped buying their phones..................

Really it is the public that is at fault. The market follows them.

Tim Robbins

godskitchen wrote: »

Ethical mobile phone? You will not find one.

The truth is, none of the major phone manufactures will ever manufacture an "Ethical" mobile phone..............for two reasons....

People just do not care enough and cost.

People really do not care enough about the environment to demand a phone that is built "sustainably" (I hate that over used word). Until people vote with their money, nothing will change.

As long as Apple and the rest of them can get away with using damaging chemicals and manufacturing processes they will continue to do so.

They claim it will cost them too much to change their manufacturing processes, I bet they would soon change if people stopped buying their phones..................

Really it is the public that is at fault. The market follows them.

I agree with you most people are very dim when it comes to finding out about these issues. But I think there's room for hope. Look at Fair Trade Coffee sales and growth for example.

Tom Dunne

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I agree with you most people are very dim when it comes to finding out about these issues.

That's a fairly provocative statement.

Are you saying that people are morally obliged to look into how/where phones are manufactured?

If you were to continue the Fair Trade analogy, I would imagine mobile phones would not be as cheap or plentiful as they are now.

godskitchen

Rev. Inglesworth wrote: »

That's a fairly provocative statement.

Are you saying that people are morally obliged to look into how/where phones are manufactured?

Yes 100%.

Is it OK to have people working in sweat shops making shoes for 20c a day? Is it OK for them to work 15 hour days producing a part that goes into our mobile phones with no workers rights?

The line of "well they would have no job if it were not for these companies" would wash if these companies were not reporting massive profits (profits in the past at least).

Its time we woke up, has the past 10 years of massive consumption and bling taught us nothing?

No I guess not, as long as we have a shiney little phone where we can poke our friends on facebook,and get twitter updates from a friend who found some cool new shoes in some over priced shop.

As long as we have that then feck the workers and their famlies who made the gear. Who cares about them, my friend just found some cool new shoes, did you not get that tweet?

Rev. Inglesworth wrote: »

If you were to continue the Fair Trade analogy, I would imagine mobile phones would not be as cheap or plentiful as they are now.

Then so be it. Half the people with mobile phones do not need them. You could make that same point about cigarettes or just about any product, do we need them in the hunter/gatherer sense?

Tyler Durden: The things you own end up owning you.

Tom Dunne

godskitchen wrote: »

Is it OK to have people working in sweat shops making shoes for 20c a day? Is it OK for them to work 15 hour days producing a part that goes into our mobile phones with no workers rights?

In fairness, you could say that about any consumer product, not just phones.

I am not saying it is right, but it is an unfortunate aspect of capitalism and consumerism.

Tim Robbins

Rev. Inglesworth wrote: »

Are you saying that people are morally obliged to look into how/where phones are manufactured?

Well when are people morally obliged and not morally obliged?

My view would be, people are always morally obliged. Or should be. There's no magic timer, which says, ok you can't not give a sh*t about humans now.

If you were to continue the Fair Trade analogy, I would imagine mobile phones would not be as cheap or plentiful as they are now.

I'd have no problem paying extra if I could feel confident humans weren't being abused for my consumer choices. I do the same with my coffee choice and anything else, when the option is available.

I have held off buying a new mobile phone for the last five years. I was hoping things might have got a bit better but looks like they have not.

godskitchen

Tim Robbins wrote: »

Well when are people morally obliged and not morally obliged?

My view would be, people are always morally obliged. Or should be. There's no magic timer, which says, ok you can't not give a sh*t about humans now.


I'd have no problem paying extra if I could feel confident humans weren't being abused for my consumer choices. I do the same with my coffee choice and anything else, when the option is available.

I have held off buying a new mobile phone for the last five years. I was hoping things might have got a bit better but looks like they have not.

I could not agree more with your post.

The price of phones and any other product would not have to rise if profits were shared equally.

Tom Dunne

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I'd have no problem paying extra if I could feel confident humans weren't being abused for my consumer choices. I do the same with my coffee choice and anything else, when the option is available.

But do you accept that you are in a minority? Sadly, it is only a tiny minority who think like you. Perhaps in the current economic climate, people will re-evaluate the way they think about such things.

Tim Robbins wrote: »

I have held off buying a new mobile phone for the last five years. I was hoping things might have got a bit better but looks like they have not.

Again, unfortunately, not many people share your way of thinking.

godskitchen wrote: »

The price of phones and any other product would not have to rise if profits were shared equally.

Call it Consumerism, Capitalism, hell, even Darwinism, but that is not going to happen in the vast majority of cases when money/greed is involved.

I admire both of your ways of thinking, but I will be the first to put my hand up and say when I make a purchase, the last thing on my mind is how/where it was made.

Tim Robbins

Rev. Inglesworth wrote: »

But do you accept that you are in a minority? Sadly, it is only a tiny minority who think like you. Perhaps in the current economic climate, people will re-evaluate the way they think about such things.

Yes. It's very depressing. Although I am hoping to channel that energy into doing some work with Amnesty international.

I admire both of your ways of thinking, but I will be the first to put my hand up and say when I make a purchase, the last thing on my mind is how/where it was made.

Well fair play to you for admitting it. Although a wave of guilt might hit you someday. My wife was telling me one of her friends couldn't look at her ring after watching the movie, 'Blood Diamond'!