Ethical Consumption of Cell Phones
ETHICAL CONSUMPTION
THE CASE OF CELL PHONES
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction
2. Life Cycle of Cell Phones
3.1 Stage One: Extraction of Materials 3.2 Stage Two: Materials Processing 3.3 Stage Three Manufacturing 3.4 Stage Four: Packaging and Transportation 3.5 Stage Five: Useful Life
3. Ethical Issues
4.6 Energy Conservation 4.7 Exploitation & Illegal Trading 4.8 Toxics Waste Disposal & Environmental Impact 4.9 Society
4. Company comparison: Apple vs. Nokia
How do these companies deal with environmental impacts?
5.10 Apple’s iPhone 4S 5.11 Nokia’s LUMIA 800
5. Conclusion
1. INTRODUCTION
In just 30 years, mobile telephony has grown into a major global industry, with an estimated 5 billion users around the world, compared with a total world population of around 7 billion people. While new subscriber growth has slowed somewhat in recent years, product turnover remains high, with over 1 billion new mobile phones shipped in 2009 alone. This paper firstly examines the life cycle of a cell phone, describing its stages from the extraction of the materials to its disposal or re-usage possibilities. It also discussed the ethical issues that impact the environment and society. Lastly, two cell phone manufactures (Apple and Nokia) are being compared in terms of how they deal with environmental impacts. 2. LIFE CYCLE OF A CELL PHONE
Stage One: Extraction of Materials
Mobile phones generally comprise approximately 40% metals and 40% plastics, with the remainder made up of glass, ceramic and other miscellaneous materials. The parts of a cell phone include the circuit board, the liquid crystal display (LCD) and the rechargeable battery. The circuit board, which controls all of the phone's functions, consists of copper, gold, silver, lead, nickel, tin, coltan, and zinc. The LCD, which is a flat-panel display where all the information
THE CASE OF CELL PHONES
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction
2. Life Cycle of Cell Phones
3.1 Stage One: Extraction of Materials 3.2 Stage Two: Materials Processing 3.3 Stage Three Manufacturing 3.4 Stage Four: Packaging and Transportation 3.5 Stage Five: Useful Life
3. Ethical Issues
4.6 Energy Conservation 4.7 Exploitation & Illegal Trading 4.8 Toxics Waste Disposal & Environmental Impact 4.9 Society
4. Company comparison: Apple vs. Nokia
How do these companies deal with environmental impacts?
5.10 Apple’s iPhone 4S 5.11 Nokia’s LUMIA 800
5. Conclusion
1. INTRODUCTION
In just 30 years, mobile telephony has grown into a major global industry, with an estimated 5 billion users around the world, compared with a total world population of around 7 billion people. While new subscriber growth has slowed somewhat in recent years, product turnover remains high, with over 1 billion new mobile phones shipped in 2009 alone. This paper firstly examines the life cycle of a cell phone, describing its stages from the extraction of the materials to its disposal or re-usage possibilities. It also discussed the ethical issues that impact the environment and society. Lastly, two cell phone manufactures (Apple and Nokia) are being compared in terms of how they deal with environmental impacts. 2. LIFE CYCLE OF A CELL PHONE
Stage One: Extraction of Materials
Mobile phones generally comprise approximately 40% metals and 40% plastics, with the remainder made up of glass, ceramic and other miscellaneous materials. The parts of a cell phone include the circuit board, the liquid crystal display (LCD) and the rechargeable battery. The circuit board, which controls all of the phone's functions, consists of copper, gold, silver, lead, nickel, tin, coltan, and zinc. The LCD, which is a flat-panel display where all the information