More and more consumers are making their purchases based on their moral values and how they want to contribute to the world.

When we think of Fairtrade, we think about workers being paid a fair price. We generally think of food products like coffee, sugar and chocolate; maybe we think about Fairtrade fashion. But what about electronics? Can gadgets like mobile phones, laptops and tablets be Fairtrade too?

Whilst Fairtrade certification schemes don’t extend to electronics, that doesn’t mean that the Fair Trade principles shouldn’t apply. Principles, yes, because Fairtrade is more than just paying a fair price. It’s about social justice. This means transparency and accountability; ensuring no child labour or forced labour; no discrimination and good working conditions.

So, with the minerals used in the production of our technology causing concern, is fairtrade technology the new ‘organic’?

In terms of technology, smartphones are one of the lowest common denominators, with many people around the world owning one.

The following are some examples of the minerals that are needed to produce smartphones and where they come from:

  • Copper, gold, and silver are used in the electrical units of smartphones and mined in Congo and Zambia
  • Lithium is used in the production of smartphone batteries and mined in Zimbabwe.
  • Coltan is also used to produce electrical units in phones and is mined in DRC, Rwanda and Uganda.
  • Palladium and platinum are used in the electrical circuits of smartphones and mined in South Africa.

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the largest producer of coltan in the world. Amnesty International reports that conditions in the mines are rarely safe and many of the workers work without essential protective gear. The organisation also reported that many workers become ill due to the poor working conditions and between September 2014 and December 2015 at least 80 miners died in the DRC.

Since 2014, companies have been required to submit conflict mineral reports. Out of the 147 companies that submitted reports in 2014, more than two-thirds of them couldn’t identify the source of the minerals in their products. Of those companies, none could say for sure if they were financing or benefiting armed groups by buying these minerals.

Apple, Samsung, Sony and Huawei are just some of the names listed in an Amnesty International report of companies that use conflict minerals in their products.

As you can see from Kakou’s Environmental statement we do not use conflict materials within any of our product designs or workshop kits.

And we are not the only one’s designing ethical electronics. There are alternatives to purchasing tech products from companies that use conflict minerals.

The Ethical Consumer has compiled a list of products, including tech, and rated them based on the ethics employed when producing the product. They recommend buying second-hand or refurbished tech products whenever possible.

Buying electronics should be no different to buying coffee or tea. If we want to see a fairer world, we need to support the companies that are working to make that happen. Through our purchasing decisions we provide the demand that allows these companies to grow. As consumers we can vote with our wallet

We just need to make sure we vote for the change we want to see.