Global impact of corporate ethics - exercise

Global Innovation

Ethical Issues

Discussion of...

...a snapshot of progress on your own particular research country/region:

1. One research article addressing the economic impact, e.g. one or all of: national ITO, BPO, ICT activity, and/or services activity in general.
2. One research article addressing one or more relevant social factors, e.g. unemployment, education, HDI etc.
3. One table summarising some relevant data e.g. over 10-20 years. Probably sourced from UN or World Bank or national statistical agencies.

Global mapping exercises for Apple Corp.

90% of the World's Coltan reserves are located in Africa with most of that coming from the Katanga region in the DR Congo.
In the news: Apple in talks with miners to secure cobalt supplies: source

Apple Inc is talking to major cobalt producers to secure supplies of the material vital for the lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power its mobile phones, three cobalt industry sources said.

"In 2016, we expanded our responsible sourcing efforts beyond conflict minerals to include cobalt. We’re proud to report that 100 percent of our conflict minerals and cobalt smelter/refiner partners are now participating in independent third-party audits to ensure their own business practices are conducted responsibly. Our commitment to responsible sourcing will not waiver and we will continue to drive our standards deep in our supply chain. (Apple Supplier Responsibility, 2017)

Search for "3TG, conflict minerals, illicit trade, coltan, columbite-tantalite, tantalum": source source source
Coltan refining and supply for sale: source source

Cobalt trade built on misery

Illicit Cobalt mining supplies the world's demands for lithium ion batteries.
The DRC is far and away the largest supplier of cobalt (extracted from coltan) on the world market. But much of the mining and extraction of cobalt is illicit, unregulated, illegal.
(link to article on the Guardian)

Certainly we, the consumer, are the end users of products containing cobalt. Markets and industry have an insatiable demand for the digital devices that require cobalt and other rare earth elements in order to function. However, global companies are the real beneficiaries, profiting from a porous and corrupt supply chain. These firms have been served in a class action on behalf of a sample group of parents and children; a handful among the multitude of unnamed people who have been dispossessed, evicted, crippled, killed, abused, exploited by the cobalt industry's corrupt and shady foundations.
http://iradvocates.org/sites/iradvocates.org/files/stamped%20-Complaint.pdf