In 2012, a flurry of articles appeared in the North American media about the ethics of buying a smartphone. There were reports of abusive labor practices at factories in China, as well as violent consequences of raw material sourcing from Africa. For example, the Taiwanese firm Foxconn was called out for harsh working conditions at a plant in Chengdu that makes iPhones for Apple. Workers, some of them underage, were required to live in crowded dormitories and toil in unsafe conditions. They were forced to stand through long workdays, resulting in swollen legs, with some unable to walk by day’s end. This and other facilities were plagued by suicide attempts, obliging Foxconn to install netting at its Shenzhen factory to catch workers jumping to their death.
Master Class [148]: Ethical Smartphone
Master Class [148]: Ethical Smartphone
Master Class [148]: Ethical Smartphone
In 2012, a flurry of articles appeared in the North American media about the ethics of buying a smartphone. There were reports of abusive labor practices at factories in China, as well as violent consequences of raw material sourcing from Africa. For example, the Taiwanese firm Foxconn was called out for harsh working conditions at a plant in Chengdu that makes iPhones for Apple. Workers, some of them underage, were required to live in crowded dormitories and toil in unsafe conditions. They were forced to stand through long workdays, resulting in swollen legs, with some unable to walk by day’s end. This and other facilities were plagued by suicide attempts, obliging Foxconn to install netting at its Shenzhen factory to catch workers jumping to their death.