A group of Chinese environmental NGOs has linked the supply chain of international IT brands to heavy metal poisoning cases in China, reported the Guardian.
Friends of Nature, the Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs and Green Earth Volunteers’ investigation revealed a trail from lead and cadmium contamination cases to foreign companies’ mobile phone battery and computer circuit board production.
The NGOs investigation showed Shanghang Huaqiang Battery – implicated last September in the lead poisoning of 121 children – to have been a manufacturer for Narada Power Source, a supplier for international mobile telecom firms.
“If a brand calls itself environmentally friendly and in favour of sustainable development, they should be concerned if their supply chains violate environment regulations,” asserted Zhang Boju of Friends of Nature.
The NGOs wrote to IT companies about their findings. BT said it would conduct an internal investigation into the allegations. Vodafone stressed its stringent code for ethical purchasing, and their application of the codes to their battery production with Narada.
Earlier this year, Vodafone was ranked number one for demonstrating strong, all-round sustainability leadership, in a rating of the world’s largest information and communications technology (ICT) companies by Tomorrow’s Value Rating – an international sustainability consultancy.
© 2011 Judge Energy Ltd. All rights reserved.
