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Life Cycle of a MacBook Pro

Distribution

and Consumption

Distribution

Consumption

Elements that Go into Technology

  • In 1997, Apple began transporting via air freight, and even began shipping directly from Chinese factories to consumers' doors
  • Steve Jobs paid $50 billion to buy all air freight space in 1997 so that the new Macs would be available in stores the following Christmas, changing shipment of Apple products from shipping by sea to shipping by air
  • Retail stores and Apple's online storefront sold 47% of Macs from December 2011 to August 2012
  • Best Buy, Amazon, and other online sites are other distribution sites
  • Apple tracks demand in retail stores by sales by the hour
  • Retail stores are located in 45 states, United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Italy, Australia, China, Switzerland, Germany, France, Spain, Hong Kong, Netherlands, and Sweden
  • Many schools in the United States provide MacBook Pros for their students
  • For example, Glen Rose Independent School District in Texas distributes MacBook Pros to all students in both Junior High and High School

Gold

Recycling and Disposal

Tantalum/Coltan

  • Used in circuit boards
  • Mined in South Africa
  • Mining conditions are very dangerous:
  • In October 2013, BBC investigated a mine in South Africa and interviewed a man who said he knew seven miners who died on the job in the last eight months
  • Tantalum/coltan
  • Cobalt
  • Rare Earth Metals
  • Platinum
  • Tin
  • Copper
  • Gold
  • Nickel
  • Iron
  • Zinc
  • Beryllium
  • Indium
  • Palladium
  • Ceramic
  • Aluminum
  • Blue-grey metallic chemical element that conducts heat and electricity
  • Needed for capacitors and charges circuit boards with electricity
  • Found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, where mining for coltan has helped fund war

Apple's Programs

Apple May Lack of Compliance with International Law

Recycling

Apple's Recycling Program

Apple uses Sims Recycling Solutions to recycle its products

Paying money for the mined coltan supports war here

  • If you ship your laptop to Apple, you can potentially receive monetary value for your old MacBook
  • If you qualify, you get a gift card to Apple and Apple will reuse your laptop
  • If you don't qualify for money, Apple will recycle it for you
  • Apple retail stores recycle MacBook batteries for free
  • Apple states in its recycling policy that:
  • It does not ship hazardous waste outside of North America
  • All recovered materials are processed domestically, except those that are recycled for future use
  • The US government is the only developed country not part of the Basel Convention, and it has failed to adopt the international definitions of hazardous waste as identified by the convention
  • The Basel Convention was designed to prevent toxic waste exportation from rich to poorer countries as a result of the known hazards associated with e-waste
  • The Basel Convention is concerned that Apple may be ignoring the conventions' statutes, which are:
  • Establishing an agreement that permits trade of hazardous waste between parties and non-parties
  • Disallowing trade in hazardous wastes without prior notification and consent of the recipient countries
  • Forbidding of all exports from specified member states to any other countries

Locations of Programs

Aluminum

Cobalt

  • Found in a capacitor, along with Tantalum and ceramic
  • MacBook Pro has an aluminum unibody
  • US Recycling Programs located in thirteen states:

Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia

  • International Recycling Programs located in:

Canada, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, Japan, Asia Pacific, Australia, Brazil and Costa Rica

  • Ingredient in rechargeable batteries
  • Mined in Zambia and Democratic Republic of the Congo, which together provide 1/2 of the world's cobalt
  • China is the center of cobalt refining

Rare Earth Metals

Nickel

  • Group of 17 elements that make up fluorescent substances in computer screens
  • Miniaturization requires these
  • Hazardous to extract
  • Some rare earth metals include:
  • Neodymium (used in hard drives to make them smaller and more efficient
  • Lanthanum (used for lighting and projection)
  • Yttrium, Terbium, Europium (make materials that give off different colors - used in making computer screens)

What Really Happens to MacBook Pro Waste

  • Used in batteries
  • Found in Russia
  • Has detrimental environmental effects: emissions from nickel sulfide are so high that they makes the snow turn yellow

Platinum

The Manufacturing Process

MacBook Pros are Hazardous Waste Products

Sent to Asia and Africa

  • Used in hard drive and in liquid crystal displays
  • Found in South Africa, where local communities have been forced to abandon their farmlands to allow for Platinum mines
  • Mine workers have few rights and perform very dangerous work; have minimal safety training
  • 80% of the material that local e-waste recycling centers receives gets exported to Asia by ship (exporting is more profitable)
  • MacBook Pros (and other computers) are hazardous waste because they contain lead
  • 2.7% of e-waste consists of pollutants including hazardous waste materials such as cadmium, mercury, and lead
  • These hazardous waste materials deteriorate air, water, and soil qualities
  • e-waste is is sent to less-developed countries in Africa and Asia
  • People are unaware of the negative effects of the industry and work because the money is good
  • Guiyu, China and Lagos, Africa
  • Health impacts
  • Environmental impacts

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Mining and Refining of Resources

Zambia

  • 80% of the population earns less than $1 per day
  • Poor communities say that mining companies do not contribute to their welfare
  • In areas where Cobalt is mined:
  • The average life expectancy is 44 years old
  • Every 5th child dies before age 5
  • Malnutrition
  • Lack of drugs and medical equipment
  • Health and safety problems exist
  • Miners do not wear protective clothing
  • Children in poverty ages 7-18 work in the mine shafts. They wash and sift, but also dig because their small size allows them to climb into small holes. They are subject to air pollutants from dust, irritating their eyes and damaging lungs. About 50,000 of 100,000-140,000 miners are children.
  • The Democratic Republic of the Congo has both formal and informal sectors
  • Informal: mine workers use their bare hands to gather heterogenite (a mineral rich in copper and cobalt), and minimum wage is $0.70 USD a day
  • Mine and factory workers face severe health and safety problems
  • Workers are suffering in both Zambia and the DRC from accidents and disease from mining because they are not wearing protective clothing or following other safety measures
  • 80 people died in mines in 2005
  • Half of the workers are hired by external contractors, and they only earn half as much as permanent workers hired directly

Mined in Inner Mongolia

Cobalt refining occurs in China

  • Receive very low salaries, even if unions exist
  • China produces 1/4 of the total world production of cobalt

Resources are mined and refined in various places in Africa and Asia

  • Mining industry damages the environment
  • Emissions from smelters are polluting the air, making it difficult to see the sun

Assembly

FOXCONN

Guiyu, China

Works Cited

E-Waste Dumping Site in Africa

NOW

Background:

Guiyu used to be a peaceful, rice growing village; now, it is a major center for e-waste "recycling"

  • Assembly of batteries for the laptops occurs in China
  • Final assembly facilities for MacBook laptops are:
  • Apple in Cork, Republic of Ireland
  • Quanta in Shanghai, China and Fremont, California
  • Foxconn in Shenzhen, China and Guangdong, China
  • Quanta and Foxconn have sweatshops in China
  • Apple places electronic monitors in some boxes of parts that let Apple workers at its base in Cupertino track the parts through Chinese factories
  • Part of Hon Hai Precision Industry
  • MacBook Pro laptops are assembled in Foxconn factories located in Shenzhen and Guangdong, China
  • Overall, Foxconn has approximately 1.2 million workers at its plants, who make products for Apple and other technology companies
  • 100,00 people make their livings here by scrapping e-waste
  • Half of the e-waste isn't recycled; it's burned or dumped near Guiyu
  • They make $1.50 a day breaking down steel, aluminum, copper, and gold
  • The labor is very intensive, and the people do not use proper equipment to break down materials
  • As a result, they suffer from health and environmental damage
  • In Lagos, about 500 containers arrive per month with used computer-related electronic equipment, equating to 400,000 second-hand or scrap units a month
  • About 45% of that is coming from the US
  • Apple (and their computers) contributes to the e-waste found in West Africa
  • The communities repair and resell computers
  • The computer waste goes to the dumps
  • Dumps are often unused patches of wetlands, and waste leaks into groundwater
  • Waste is burned to reduce the amount in dumps, resulting in health hazards similar to those experienced in Guiyu, as the dumps have toxic ash among other hazards
  • Children and animals play and pick on dump sites, increasing likelihood of contamination and infection

Health Effects

amst418e [Farman, Jason]. “What Goes Into Your Devices?” Digital Media & Everyday Life. AMST 418e, 14 Feb. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. https://docs.google.com/file/d/1QJp1aNBINPrgRxmOQTNPPacP9rJQbfF0SJeYxOMrqTr8MwxxO5nvgTNM-Mw0/edit

“Apple Computer Position on E-Waste Exports May Be Out of Compliance with International Law.” BAN Library: Apple Non-Compliance. Basel Action Network, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://ban.org/library/Apple_Non-Compliance.pdf

BaselAction. “Exporting Harm: The High-Tech Trashing of Asia.” Online video. YouTube. YouTube, 16 May 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013.

Electronista Staff. “Quanta exclusive MacBook builder?” Electronista. Electronista, 14 Oct. 2008. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.electronista.com/articles/08/10/14/quanta.macbook.exclusive/

Goel, Vindu. “Foxconn Audit Reveals Workweek Still Too Long.” NYTimes.com. New York Times, 16 May 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/17/business/foxconn-audit-reveals-workweek-still-too-long.html?_r=1&

GRR Staff Report. “MacBook distribution schedules set.” YourGlenRoseTx.com. Glen Rose ISD, July 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://m.yourglenrosetx.com/schools/grisd/article_992d88af-a14b-54e1-bfb3-f132e88cd610.html?mode=jqm

Harding, Andrew. “South Africa’s illegal gold rush.” BBC News. BBC, 9 Oct. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24450370

Norbrand, Sara and Petter Bolme. “Powering the Mobile World: Cobalt production for batteries in the DR Congo.” SwedWatch, Nov. 2007. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://germanwatch.org/corp/it-cob.pdf

Paczkowski, John. “Breaking Down Apple’s Retail Distribution Strategy.” All Things D – News. All Things Digital, 3 Oct. 2012. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://allthingsd.com/20121003/apple-stores-get-the-glory-but-retail-partners-shoulder-load/

Padilla, Richard. “Apple to Shift iMac Production from Quanta to Pegatron?” MacRumors. Mac Rumors, 5 Aug. 2013. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.macrumors.com/2013/08/05/apple-to-shift-imac-production-from-quanta-to-pegatron/

Puckett, Jim, Sarah Westervelt, Richard Gutierrez, and Yuka Takamiya. “The Digital Dump: Exporting Re-use and Abuse to Africa.” The Basel Action Network, 24 Oct. 2005. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://ban.org/library/TheDigitalDump.pdf

“Recycling Program.” Apple. Apple Inc, n.d. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.apple.com/recycling/

Satariano, Adam and Peter Burrows. “Apple’s Supply-Chain Secret? Hoard Lasers.”

Businessweek.com. Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine, 3 Nov. 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/apples-supplychain-secret-hoard-lasers-11032011.html#p2

Staff Writer. “Tantalum Capacitors 101.” Tantalum Investing News, 6 Aug. 2013. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. http://tantaluminvestingnews.com/2974-tantalum-capacitors-101.html

Supplier Responsibility: Our Suppliers. Apple, 2013. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/our-suppliers.html

“Tragedies of Globalization: The Truth Behind Electronics Sweatshops.” China Labor Watch. China Labor Watch, 12 July 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2013. https://www.chinalaborwatch.org/pro/proshow-164.html

“What are ‘rare earths’ used for?” BBC News. BBC, 13 Mar. 2012. Web. 16 Nov. 2013. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-17357863

Zhang, Kejing. “Rough Times in Guiyu.” Recycling Magazine May 2007. Basel Action Network. Web. 18 Nov. 2013. http://ban.org/library/Features/070500_rough_times_in_guiyu.html

  • When people burn the useless parts after dismantling the MacBook Pro laptops, they are subject to respiratory problems from the fumes, skin problems, and stomach disease
  • They often do not use proper protection when breaking down, burning, and handling the materials (such as gloves)
  • Break down Cathode Ray Tubes (CRTs) from computers by hand when CRTs are being reused and refurbished
  • Dangers: Risk of violent implosion, possible silicosis (a disease in the lungs resulting from inhalation of particles), inhalation of toxic compounds, and toxic releases
  • Burning parts of the computer (wires, PCB plastics, de-soldering of circuit boards) results in:
  • emissions of dioxins, carcinogens, and other toxic gases in the air
  • exposure to and inhalation of these toxic gases
  • Population is unaware of the health impacts associated with the "recycling" of e-waste

Environmental Damage

Consequences of E-waste...

Within its Factories:

  • Open dumping of debris, usually near water
  • The past five years, well water and surface water have been undrinkable because of severe surface and groundwater contamination
  • Water has been transported from a nearby village
  • As a result of burning computer components, the area is covered in ash
  • Soils in Guiyu have 200 times the amount of lead of what the Dutch government says is appropriate
  • River water is 2400 times above the appropriate threshold
  • China has lenient environmental standards

When MacBook Pros and other technologies are not disposed of or recycled properly, which can happen even when sent through Apple itself, societies in developing countries suffer as they break down the accumulation of e-waste in their areas

  • New York Times investigations have found illegal amounts of overtime, crowded working conditions, under-age workers, and improper disposal of waste
  • Industrial accidents have injured and killed Foxconn workers
  • The company has also experienced a wave of worker suicides
  • The company has come under public scrutiny since worker suicides became known in 2010

QUANTA

Conditions in Quanta Factories in Shanghai

Background Information on Quanta

Labor Intensity

Wages

Overtime Hours

Characteristics of Sweatshops producing MacBook Pros in General

  • Wages are better than in other industry factories: minimum wage is $227.92 USD/month
  • Overtime hours exceed China's labor law that states overtime should not exceed 36 hours
  • Extremely high
  • 10 minute break in middle of the day for bathrooms and water, but limited amount of toilets means that workers can't necessarily use it
  • Lower management has no regard for workers' well-being, treating them as subhuman
  • Quanta was the sole supplier for MacBook Pros in 2009 after Apple switched from ASUS and Foxconn to it
  • Quanta manufactured the original design for Apple Mac computers

Labor Contracts

Age Discrimination

Food/Dormitory Appeals Channels

  • Quanta's factory in Shanghai has over 47,000 employees
  • 1/3 of the workers there are under 18 years old
  • Quanta does not sign labor contracts in good faith with workers, and usually workers are not properly informed about specifics of the contract before signing
  • When a dispute occurs, workers cannot utilize their labor contract as a means of safeguarding their rights and interests
  • They are not aware of the right to claim compensation for injury on the job
  • Workers at this factory were unsure if a union existed and were unaware of an established worker hotline meant to help those struggling
  • Considered worse than other factories
  • Excessive overtime hours, especially during peak season
  • Production quotas increase when a new product or version is debuted
  • Forcing workers to work 'voluntary' overtime
  • Extremely high level of work intensity created by establishing daily production quotas at quantities that only the most efficient workers can meet
  • Discriminating by hiring youngest and healthiest workers
  • Making it extremely difficult to resign, and forcing workers to 'voluntarily' resign by giving up a large portion of their final wages

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