2023-06-04
Convenience or Ethics?
Do advances in technology and the conveniences it brings forth worth the unethical acts behind its production?
Does ethics play a role in a capitalist society whose sole purpose is the accumulation of wealth, and the *dubious* notion of efficient allocation of resources?
Does the priviledged consumer have a responsibility towards the world, at large?
From the news that exposed the atrocities commited by Apple for the production of its products, one cannot deny that it still has a great corporate image. Apple was frequently reported in the news as a company that made use of child labor in the factories of its third-party contractors. They know of this violation but continued to conduct business with these contractors, all for the sake of extracting the most of money from their sales.
One would have assumed that with the exorbitant prices of Apple products they ccould provide an ethical wage and conducive workplace for their workers. A small amount of price increase would would have surely made a great increase in the wages of these factory workers.
Companies like Apple have the best Public Relations Department. They can handle any form of criticism and sweep it under the rug. They do not heavily suffer the consequences of their actions. The media does not even properly cover these kinds of news.
This is in cotrast with what the company Fairphone is doing. They are sourcing their materials and doing their production of Android phones in the most ethical and dignified way.
They source their materials responsibly. Apple has been reported to have used aluminium and cobalt that has been mined by children and from zones of conflict (i.e. zones that have unstable government and are often ruled by terrorists).
They make sure that the miners of these precious minerals are well-compensated and work in safe conditions beyond what is legally required.
An example of sourcing materials ethically is by sourcing their materials through Fairtrade Gold. This is an initiative my multiple companies around the world to integrate ethically sourced gold into their supply chain.