Rumors swirling the debut of the iPhone 5 have been circulating for the past several months and as a current iPhone user, I am tempted, like most others, to get my hands on one. Smartphones, particularly the iPhone have become an aspect of everyday life for many in America. But at what cost? In recent reports and some articles published by AP and the likes, reveal that there are many costs that come with the iPhone.
The problem starts with minerals. In order to make your smartphone to work as seamlessly as we all love, they are manufactured with three basic minerals: tin, tantulum, and tungsten. This sounds normal, but here’s the kicker. Those minerals are often mined in the conflict ridden Democratic Republic of Congo. Serious labor and human rights violations are occurring in order to mine these minerals, including civil war and flat out murder.
But unfortunately in the life of the iPhone the violations dont’ stop there. Apple has recently been accused of terrible labor issues surrounding the manufacturing of their products including computers, iPads, and iPhones. Some of these issues include overworked employees, suicide of employees, and even child labor.
Those things alone are enough to make the consumer ill, but on top of labor issues, smartphones are made with materials that are far less than environmentally friendly. Recent reports have come out showing Apple factories release harmful toxins into water, soil, and the air we breathe, not to mention all the plastic that is used to create the phones in the first place.
And just when you think you can’t handle the guilt anymore, Grist recently ran an article about an iPhone game that “will make you ashamed of your iPhone.” The game features four main levels: mining materials in the Congo, including mistreating workers and adding to civil war, saving possible suicide victims at manufacturing plants in China, drumming up excitement among consumers, and throwing out the iPhone and adding to wastefulness. Check out a preview for this game below.
Don’t think we’ve singled out the iPhone alone. All brands smartphones and other electronics used mined minerals from the Congo and many have similar labor and environmental issues in the manufacturing process. So what is the answer? Well, obviously giving up the convenience of said electronics would eliminate all these violations in the supply chain. But in our modern world, this isn’t as easy as it sounds. One step is to use your current model as long as possible, do you really need to upgrade to the iPhone 5 just because Apple said it is better? Another way to go would be to purchase used and refurbished phones, thus saving them from landfills and not adding to new manufacturing. Lastly, be sure to recycle your phone when it is finally ready to upgrade.
So to answer our opening question, yes we all should be ashamed of our iPhones. And the only way to change it, is to let Apple and other smartphone manufactures we won’t stand for it! Write them today and stop purchasing their brand new items!
Autonomie Project's Blog 
September 16, 2011 at 7:52 pm
We try to live by example. Yes, FIRST, write to ANY tech manufacturer and let them know you are aware of the facts and what you care about. (All tech products are a human rights factor! If you have a TV… a laptop…)
Second, invest in purchases that will last. When we left the States, Luke was still using a secondhand original iPhone and had replaced the glass screen when it broke. He will continue to use it here in Korea for wi-fi. When I left, I was still using his old phone prior to that secondhand iPhone. Neither of us felt deprived!! As always, the chain goes rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle. CHANGING the way we THINK is FIRST! So many people start at the bottom of that chain– it is not enough to get a new phone every year or two, recycle or donate it and tell yourself you’re doing a good thing! The process STARTS with rethinking. So we should do this with cell phones too. AP, you are helping here with rethink. 🙂 Using something used or outdated is not a deprivation AT ALL when you know what really matters.
After that, its up to all of us to reduce, then reuse, and when it simply won’t work anymore, THEN recycle.
I also don’t believe anyone should live in guilt– its not healthy. No you should not feel guilty IF you are aware, processing information, and making conscientious choices with that information. Perfection is a human concept that doesn’t actually exist in nature and its not fair to berate yourself thinking you can live perfectly ethical and perfectly green. BUT conscience is a human reality and we are not free to be ignorant either! I think you can have an smartphone without guilt when you choose to be aware, you let the companies know your priorities, you acquire a used or a quality product that suits your NEEDS and use it until it can’t be repaired anymore, and only lastly reuse/recycle/donate.
Finally, you CAN opt out. Don’t be a part of the hype. Don’t go gaga for the tech! To put it crudely: none of this shit matters. 😀 Use a dumpy old phone and be happy about it because you’re already having a good time LIVING. ❤
September 22, 2011 at 2:05 pm
Thank you Tanya! This was a great response and we totally agree with you. All electronics have serious human rights violations. Awareness needs to happen so real change can happen. Spread the word 🙂
September 18, 2011 at 5:10 am
Thought provoking blog – thank you!
September 18, 2011 at 5:11 am
[…] Rumors swirling the debut of the iPhone 5 have been circulating for the past several months and as a current iPhone user, I am tempted, like most others, to get my hands on one. Smartphones, particularly the iPhone have become an aspect of everyday life for many in America. But at what cost? In recent reports and some articles published by AP and the likes, reveal that there are many costs that come with the iPhone. The problem starts with min … Read More […]