Activists from Actions With Impact paid the Apple Store on regent Street to call out their complicity in slavery and genocide.  Apple devices are made with minerals that are illegally mined in DR Congo.  The mining operations are conducted under inhumane and unethical conditions.  Apple also donates to friends of the IDF which collects donations on behalf of Israeli  soldiers committing genocide in Gaza.  To add to their list of crimes over 80 000 Uyghurs have been forcibly transferred from East Turkistan to work in factories that supply the tech giant.

This is nothing new to many of us and started me thinking, is it even possible to buy a smart phone ethically?  The top phone companies make a great deal about their environmental credentials coming top in sustainability when you preform an internet search.  However dig a little deeper and it quickly becomes apparent that this is nothing but greenwashing.  Amazingly the ethical credentials of Samsung, Huawei and Google Pixel perform worse than an iPhone in many ethical ratings tables, which leaves one thinking just what the f*** are they doing to perform below Apple?  It makes for depressing reading.  Central to this issue is lack of transparency in the supply chain.  Not one of the big major phone manufacturers has full transparency on their supply chain ethics and have problematic corporate practices, weak environmental policies and issues with workers conditions in factories to name but a few of the issues.

So where does that leave us?  The smart phone has become a staple of modern life.  Many of us have felt their life descend into chaos when they have had a phone stolen or have lost it.  I know I have all too often.  We are reliant on the bloody things!  The answer is to do a little homework.  Look for ethical brands that have a fair-trade agreement and do not use slave labour.  Look for tech that is easily repairable, it is out there and vastly extends the lifespan of the device.   And finally do we really need that new phone every two years or so?

We the consumers have the power

Boycotting works

#apple #iphone #boycottapple  #drcongo #actionswithimpact #londonprotest #london #documentaryphotography #photojournalism #reportage