The production chain of consumer electronic products is a truly global
one and is facing many social and environmental problems throughout the world.
The scope of SOMO’s research has widened from labour standards at
production locations in Asia and Latin
America to the entire life cycle of consumer
electronics. SOMO started to research the labour abuses and environmental
damage at the bottom of the supply chain; the conditions under which the raw
materials for electronics are extracted. After initial resistance to take
responsibility for this phase of their supply chain, the electronics companies
now acknowledge that the electronics industry has the leverage for change, and
the dialogue between business and SOMO will continue.
SOMO’s work in the electronics industry takes place through different
projects: SOMO is coordinator of the European project makeITfair;is hostingthe worldwide GoodElectronics network;
and is partner in Procure IT
fair, but also runs its own program together with partner organisations
in the production countries. This program includes starting up dialogue between
local workers organisations and supplier companies and monitoring the codes of
conduct of the electronics brand companies.
makeITfair works hard to promote substantial improvements in the production chain of consumer electronics; ranging from mining in Africa to manufacturing in Asia and Eastern Europe, and to the dumping of electronic waste in Africa. Here is a short overview of its most recent activities, including a campaign involving multinational Apple, and an update of the educational tool, Webquest. Furthermore, makeITfair and GoodElectronics have plans for the future. On 9 and 10 May they are organising a Round Table, which will bring together representatives of the electronics industry and civil society organisations from around the globe.
The new report 'What a waste' from makeITfair reveals the health and environmental problems of the uncontrolled flow of e-waste from Europe to Ghana. Each month, around 600 containers of second-hand electronics arrive in Ghana. Most of it is obsolete and ends up being burned at dump-sites. The UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Italy and Spain are the top exporters of used computers to Ghana. As the European legislation on electronic waste (the so-called WEEE directive) is currently being revised, the Environmental Council of the European Union now has the opportunity to stop the human rights and environmental violations that are caused by European waste.
MakeITfair’s report “Out of focus” on digital camera companies in Vietnam reveals that the major issue faced by workers is the lack of freedom of association and collective bargaining power. Although the Vietnamese labour law only permits one legal trade union, without taking proactive steps, the electronics companies in Vietnam risk wildcat strikes.
Europe must seize the chance to stop its e-waste from triggering human rights abuses and environmental damage globally, said human rights and environmental NGOs in an open letter sent to European Environment Ministers today.
Precarious jobs and insufficient wages are common in the mobile phone industry in India. These are the findings of a new report launched today by the makeITfair campaign. Phony Equality – Labour standards of mobile phone manufacturers in India reveals that most of the workers at four electronics factories owned by Nokia, Flextronics, Foxconn and Salcomp in Chennai’s Special Economic Zones (SEZs) are either contract workers or ‘trainees’ who have no claim to permanent employment and are often trapped in unfair and exploitative positions.
