Corporate Karma
Chris Rodinis
December 19th 2012
http://retroworks.blogspot.com/
The domino effect is widely known. Stack dominos in line, push the first, they all tumble.
A butterfly flaps his wings in Southeast Asia that creates a hurricane in the Atlantic. All things are connected. We all are dependant on each other. I am depending on the power company to keep the lights on. And a telecom to keep my internet connection.
The raw materials chain is connected to the supply chain. The supply chain is connected to the manufacturing chain. The manufacturing chain is connected to the distribution chain which is connected to the retail world which is connected to the consumer world.
Consumers have a voracious appetite for electronics. Retailers, manufacturers etc. have a voracious appetite for profit. But at what cost? At whose expense? Is this sustainable?
What is the downside? Who is responsible for the downside?
Pakistan’s Paradox
Phones, tablets, Pc’s are almost everywhere today and will probably be entirely everywhere tomorrow. The trouble with this electronic stuff is that it dies young, typically after one to three years.
Where does electronic stuff go when it dies? Most of it goes to developing countries and one example is Pakistan. There you can see the stuff being broken down or de-manufactured and you can see the harsh living and working conditions wherever e-waste is being processed.
What is the impact of E-waste in Pakistan? The impact can be described as a huge health and environmental issue fraught with difficulties.
Paradoxically, e-waste is also a real livelihood for those employed in it. This is a livelihood fraught with risk, danger and negative social consequences.
For example, the work is done manually. The old equipment is taken apart by bare hands, boards are dipped in acid for gold and silver poisoning the air of un-masked workers, wires get burned for the copper again contaminating the air for all to breath freely….the result in too many cases is a place where work around harmful toxic waste with no protections for the technician is tragic.
Workers are mostly unaware that what they are inhaling is lethal over the long term. Even if they just wear a mask and a pair of gloves, that would be a great start! Unfortunately, they cannot even afford that.
Long Hours, Low Pay, High Risk
Children, women, old men work long days up to 12 hours; perhaps take one day off per week, and have zero benefits. They make 25 to 50 cents per hour.
International regulations do not help this problem too much. There are just too many loopholes so illegal exporting and trading are proliferating. Approximately 80% of all e-waste is sent to countries like Pakistan! Of all nations, the US is the biggest producer of e-waste. The biggest “cause” of scrap electronics in the US is the federal government.
The reason e-waste is sent to poor countries is because the cost of recycling is much lower there than in rich countries. One reason is that the work is done manually. (please note: these statistics are being debated, however, the issue persists)
As regulators tighten controls in China and India, the tide of e-waste moves on to places like Bangladesh and Pakistan, which are not very regulated.
The fact that very unprotected and very poor people make their living from e-waste is the primary reason to find ways to make recycling less harmful to workers and the environment. This process would mean creating and enforcing stricter regulations.
So back to the beginning. “Social Responsibility” is now the new corporate buzz. If corporations are to prosper and make meaningful contributions to the world then perhaps they should help the poor people be safer when they are taking apart their scrap for pennies per hour.