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It's unusual because Apple makes a lot of comments about equality, prosperity and equality of opportunity. Especially in the context of recent BLM activism, the
by aspaceman 6y ago
It's unusual because Apple makes a lot of comments about equality, prosperity and equality of opportunity. Especially in the context of recent BLM activism, their activities in these areas look especially hypocritical. It also makes their activism look hypocritical by their willingness to commit business with people doing slavery.
You're totally right about cobalt. About every other company being the same. But that just makes it hypocritical for them too.
While not unusual, it's still reprehensible. No matter how you try and justify it imo.
- Blikkentrekker 6y agoLet me then phrase it thus: this article puts it as if this be some revelation. Everyone would know that Apple surely deals with companies it knows use slavery and child labor, because Apple produces batteries and there's no other way. It is as if one præsent it as a revelation that Apple consumes fossil fuels, despite claiming to be environmentally aware.
- fakedang 6y agoDo all battery producing companies use child Labour? I highly doubt it. Apple might have had a hard time moving away, but they're Apple - they create billionaires within their supply chain. Foxconn wouldn't be so without Apple, and in turn a ton of Chinese suppliers wouldn't be so without Foxconn. Yet Apple decided to play the same game as the rest of the mobile phone market, instead of using its heft to make sure suppliers adhered to its high standards.
- Blikkentrekker 6y agoIt is practically impossible to find cobalt, an essential ingredient for most consumer electronics, without it being mined by child labor and slavery. About 50% of the world's cobalt is estimated to be mined by slaves, and it is not easily possible to know which is which.
- fakedang 6y agoCobalt is a few steps removed from the mobile assembly stage. This was Apple knowing fully well about parts made by child labour that were directly being assembled into MacBooks. There simply is no excuse, whichever way you want to spin it and claim whataboutisms.
- Blikkentrekker 6y agoHow would that differ from knowing full well that the cobalt assembled into it is mined from slavery?
- fakedang 6y agoApple has direct control over being able to switch between parts suppliers - its an executive decision taken by Apple management. On the other hand, Apple can only instruct its manufacturer to not buy Cobalt from places exploiting child labor, even if they try as much to monitor their supply chain, since Cobalt is bought and sold on the open market.
- deleted 6y ago[deleted]