Background - demand one
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Miner in Bisie. Picture: Mark Craemer. |
1. Nokia trace the minerals in its products to individual mines in conjunction with other manufacturers. Given that mineral trading contributes to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Nokia should use its influence to contribute towards bringing peace to the country.
Even though the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a country rich in natural resources, it is one the the poorest countries in the world. In UNDP's 2008 Human Development Index the country was ranked third lowest. The country's abundant minerals have contributed to the continuing of the conflict that began in 1998. The conflict that began as a civil war has also been described as Africa's world war as it affects the stability of the whole region of central Africa.
The war officialy ended in 2003, but conflict is ongoing, with approximately 38 000 people dying each month. In 2008 the situation got even worse. Fighting between the Congolose army and rebel groups has driven Eastern DRC mining areas into chaos. NGO's operating in the area have been affected by the violence too. Different rebel groups and the Congolese army benefit from the ongoing fighting, as they can keep mines and trade routes under their control amidst the chaos. The victims of this resource war are not just the fighters and soldiers, but also the civilians who live in conflict areas. Human rights violations are an everyday occurence in Congo: people get killed, tortured, raped, forced to work as slaves in the mines and arrested on a whim. Children are also kidnapped to become child soldiers.
A significant proportion of the minerals mined in the DRC are used as raw materials for the electronics industry. The most important of the metals extracted from the minerals are tin, coltan and cobalt. Tin and coltan are mined in Eastern Congo, and those are the minerals that rebel groups use to fund the war. Nearly half of world's tin and two thirds of coltan are used in electronical appliances, such as mobile phones and computers. Cobalt is mined in Southern DRC and child labour is very common. According to estimates, 75-90 percent of cobalt imported to China, the leading mobile phone manufacturer country, is sourced from the DRC. A large amount of the cobalt is used in rechargeable batteries of portable equipment.
Tracing the minerals is the first step towards improving the situation. Boycotting minerals from the DRC is too strong a measure and would hurt the already poor local people. An ouright ban is an ineffective method that would just push the problems further down, whereas trying to strive for as transparent a trading system as possible could prevent problems. By increasing transparency in the trade, together with improved government regulation, the congolese miners could have a safer way of earning a living.
Even though the electronics industry is aware of the problems in the sourcing of its raw materials, there has been little action so far on trying to improve things. Big companies like Nokia have an opportunity to use their influence to contribute to improving the situation in countries like the DRC. Companies should extend their CSR policies to where the raw materials that they need and use come from.
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Suggestions for further reading:
makeITfair report Powering the Mobile World
makeITfair report Connecting Components, Dividing Communities
Raise Hope for Congo campaign website includes among others things the slideshows "From Mines to Mobile Phones" and "The Life of A Congolese Miner". The site also includes Conflict Minerals Pledge by the Enough Project, which companies and consumers can sign.