Roskilde Festival

Bad connections

Download the report

How your mobile phone is linked to abuse, fraud and unfair mining practices in DR Congo

In 2001 a UN panel of experts first documented that the extraction of another metal coltan (tantalum), used in capacitors for mobile phones, was related to critical conditions in the mining industry in DR Congo. Until very recently, however, mobile phone producers such as Nokia, Motorola, Samsung, LG Electronics and Sony Ericsson have made little, if any, effort to track the origins of the metals used in their phones, even though for many years they have been aware of the risks involved. Presently there are no guaranties that the various metals used in mobile phones are extracted in a sustainable and responsible way.

Key findings:

• This study shows that mobile phone batteries from Nokia, LG, Motorola and Samsung all contain cobalt from DR Congo. This is also likely to be the case with mobile phone batteries from Sony Ericsson.
• By using cobalt from DR Congo, mobile phone companies are running the risk of supporting illegal export and unfair mining practices, which often involves severe human rights abuses.
• Until recently, mobile phone companies claimed they did not know the origin of the cobalt and other metals in their phones. However, this study has proven it possible to identify the supply chain linkages from mobile phone companies to cobalt extraction in DR Congo.
• The mobile phone companies have all committed themselves to corporate social responsibility (CSR) and they all have supplier codes of conduct. Despite awareness of the risks in the mining industry, none of the mobile companies have implemented and disclosed a systematic policy on the use of metals.

In 2007 alone, 1.15 billion mobile phones were sold to consumers worldwide, and by 2008 half of the world’s population will own a mobile phone.

Social responsibility needed

The report from DanWatch is conducted on behalf of the Danish NGO DanChurchAid and Roskilde Festival. It will contribute to the campaign ‘Fair Phone – Fair Future’ which takes place at the Roskilde Festival this summer.
Roskilde Festival’s spokesman, Esben Danielsen, says: ”Mobile phone companies could contribute to a better life to thousands of poor people – and still do good business. This is a unique possibility for them to really live up to their CSR-statements. What is needed is action to secure that the metals are extracted under reasonable conditions. Let’s hope that the mobile phone producers will take their responsibility seriously by now, with this report leading the way. The worst case scenario would be that the companies just left their responsibilities with the suppliers and stopped trading with DR Congo, which would just leave the many poor people worse off”

The Secretary General of DanChurchAid, Henrik Stubkjær, says: ”It is regrettable that the mobile phone producers have not yet learned from the debate on coltan in 2001. Of course the same amount of responsibility is required, when it comes to other metals from developing countries”
At least four metals used in mobile phones might originate from DR Congo; Copper, cobalt, tin and coltan.

So far, the mobile phone producers have claimed that it is very difficult to trace the origin of the metals in their phones back to the source.
”The report from DanWatch shows that it is possible to map the supply chain from the metals extraction in DR Congo to the finished mobile phones in Denmark. If an organisation like DanWatch can do that, the mobile phone producers can do it as well. After all, they have the direct access to their suppliers” Henrik Stubkjær says.

Possibilities for development

DR Congo’s mineral wealth could potentially contribute to promote welfare in a country that was recently the centre of a brutal war. Yet, corruption and lack of control leads to illegal exports of metals. In 2005, it was estimated that more than 75 per cent of all minerals leaving the Katanga province, where the Congolese cobalt comes from, were illegally exported.
”DR Congo is a mineral rich country, and this is a good opportunity for development. This opportunity can be realized only if western companies including mobile phone producers are acting socially responsible way and make sure that their investments also contribute to local development”, says Henrik Stubkjær, DanChurchAid.

Download the report

Press:

DanChurchAid
Secretary-General Henrik Stubkjær Tel.: +45 2970 0600
Advocacymedarbejder Mattias Söderberg Tel.: +45 2970 0609
Roskilde Festival
Esben Danielsen, Spokesman Tel.: +45 4636 6613
DanWatch
Director Søren Ring Tel.: +45 7741 7749