The European Citizen and Conflict Resources

Jan 9, 2014 | Ries Kamphof
View Original

European consumers can contribute to more sustainable supply chains and less social, economic and ecological deprivation.

According to an annual report published by the International Telecommunications Union in 2012, the number of mobile-cellular subscriptions increased to a total of around 6 billion, or 86 per 100 inhabitants, globally. The mobile phone, or ‘smartphone’ is a symptomatic example of a product which is used by many global citizens who do not know how the supply chain of these products is related to conflicts. The supply chains of the mobile phone (and other electronics) industry encompass many national and firm boundaries. Social and ecological conflicts manifest themselves during the extraction (mining) phase, around smelters and even after consumption when electronic waste is sometimes dumped in oceans or developing countries with more flexible environmental and social legislation