Publicaties
Up one levelNieuwe publicaties
Driven by Corporate Social Responsibility?
The situation in the DRC might be the gravest example of how mineral extraction can fuel conflict and suffering, but is certainly not the only one. Throughout the global south, local communities, workers and the environment are suffering from the consequences of mining operations. Issues such as land expropriation, mining in environmentally fragile areas, contested water use and contamination, community tensions, child labour and forced labour, and hazardous working conditions can be found in numerous mining operations. Examples include the mining of cobalt in the southern region of the DRC, platinum mining in South Africa, tin mining in Indonesia, etc.
Mobile Phone Production in China
One of every two mobile phones is manufactured in China. In 2008 makeITfair published a report about factories supplying the big brand name companies with components for their mobile phones. This follow-up re-examines two of the factories where workers took to the streets in 2007 protesting against unacceptable and illegal working conditions. Since then a new owner, who took over the plants in 2008, has invested and made efforts to set up management systems and to improve conditions at the sites.
E-Waste
In the past two years the often illegal export of waste from electric and electronic equipment (‘e-waste’) to developing countries has received considerable attention. Partly thanks to agenda-setting efforts of NGOs like Greenpeace and the Basel Action Network, concern has arisen regarding the hazardous environmental and health effects of irresponsible disposal and recycling of these wastes at Asian and African destinations (e.g. China, Nigeria, Ghana).
The deficits of the EU financial reforms
Almost one year after financial market turmoil triggered a financial and economic crisis in the countries of the European Union (EU), many reforms of the financial sector are still not in place and destabilising practices are continuing.
Rethinking Liberalisation of Banking Services under the India-EU Free Trade Agreement
The European Union (EU) and India are negotiating a free trade agreement (FTA) which encompasses liberalisation and deregulation of financial services. This paper wants to raise policy issues that run much deeper than the current liberalisation debate and consider who will benefit and who will lose from the FTA.
An Oversight of Selected Financial Reforms on the EU Agenda
This working document provides an overview of some important decisions and discussions about the reform of the financial sector which still needs to take place at the level of the European Union (EU) from September 2009 onwards. Most of them were already announced in the Commission Communication of 4 March 2009 for the Spring European Council, 'Driving European Recovery’. This working document does not deal with the rescue packages of banks and insurance companies, nor with the stimulus packages to deal with the economic crisis that resulted from the financial crisis.
buy IT fair
Sustainable procurement can be a powerful tool in the drive towards more sustainability in the Electronics supply chain.
Computer Connections
Only 15 years ago most families in the Western world did not own even one PC. Nowadays, in many European countries we find multiple computers per household, with even individuals sometimes owning more than one PC. The recent production of small and relatively cheap notebooks, like the Acer EEE PC, is contributing to this trend.
End WTO financial deregulation of finance
Since the current financial crisis started, none of the governments, experts or media who have called for new regulations for the financial industry have taken into account rules of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) which actually impose extreme financial service deregulation on many WTO member countries.
The financial crisis does not justify a WTO deal
Many political leaders have been calling for the conclusion of the ‘Doha Round’ negotiations in the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as a solution to the financial crisis, in order to provide a boost to the world economy and a signal of confidence to multilateralism. They argue that WTO rules prevent “protectionist measures”, closing of borders, and beggar-thy-neighbour policies, which led to the economic depression in the 1930s and the consequent wars.
