What might make a smartphone ethical?

Where might the minerals come from? How has the extractive and refining industries affected the local populations? What conditions are in the factories? Are people in sales and support treated well?

How sustainable is a smartphone?

What is the environmental cost of mining? In terms of pollution, fossil fuel use and water use? Where does the energy come from in all the various factories to turn the minerals into a finished product? What effect has the production and distribution had on biodiversity? How long will it last? Can it be repaired easily? Can it be recycled easily?

At every stage of the supply chain there are interactions with workers and people as well as interactions with the environment. So what can we do? We can find out a bit more about these interactions and let what we find out help us with our choices.

And it doesn’t stop with the product in a box. Ethical and environmental considerations also apply to the mobile contract, just like the choice of a deep green electricity contract will encourage new renewables.

As more people start to ask about how ethical and environmental something is, these considerations will gain more importance in the manufacturers’ decision making. Customer opinions matter. So next time you are looking for a smartphone, be smart and ask.

For an excellent introduction to ethical purchasing see the journeyto2030 guide here.

There are a number of ethical guides and websites (available by using an internet search engine) that look into smartphones and other consumer products such as this one (we do not endorse this example or any specific product guide and recommend people look around and ask questions for themselves).