Waste and Materials:
One thing that Samsung has done very well is managing its impact on the environment and where it gets it basic resources. Coltan (short for Columbite-Tantalite) is a metallic ore that can be used for various electronic device parts. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has one of the world’s largest Coltan deposits. Mining in the Congo for coltan has led to slavery and terrible working conditions of workers.[8] These conditions have encouraged many companies to buy their Coltan from elsewhere. Samsung claims to not purchase coltan directly from Congolese mines. Some of Samsung’s component vendors supply them with Coltan and Samsung’s require tantalum suppliers to avoid tantalum from Congo. Samsung says their vendors provide tantalum from the USA, Russia, and Thailand.[9]
Another major issue is e-waste. First of all, what is e-waste? E-waste is the term used to describe discarded electronic devices, such as old phones.[10]Samsung allows people to drop off used electronics to certain locations. It is then taken to the Global Electric Electronic Processing centre. There the hazardous materials are removed and sorted. Plastics are recycled, metals are reused. Almost everything is recycled or re-purposed at these centers.[11] Overall, Samsung has very good environmental values.
[8] Andrew Munn. Coltan Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last Updated April 2007. University of Michigan. Accessed June 2 2014 http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section002group3/coltan_mining_in_democratic_republic_of_the_congo.
[9] Samsung. Environmental Policies. Last Updated 2008. Samsung Electronics. Accessed June 2 2014. http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/corpcitizenship/environmentsocialreport/environmentsocialreport_PolicyOnColtan.html
[10] Wikipedia. Electronic Waste. N.d. Wikipedia. Accessed June 2 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-waste
[11] Samsung. Recycling Direct. Last Updated October 31, 2013. Samsung Electronics. Accessed May 2 2014 http://pages.samsung.com/ca/green/English/
One thing that Samsung has done very well is managing its impact on the environment and where it gets it basic resources. Coltan (short for Columbite-Tantalite) is a metallic ore that can be used for various electronic device parts. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has one of the world’s largest Coltan deposits. Mining in the Congo for coltan has led to slavery and terrible working conditions of workers.[8] These conditions have encouraged many companies to buy their Coltan from elsewhere. Samsung claims to not purchase coltan directly from Congolese mines. Some of Samsung’s component vendors supply them with Coltan and Samsung’s require tantalum suppliers to avoid tantalum from Congo. Samsung says their vendors provide tantalum from the USA, Russia, and Thailand.[9]
Another major issue is e-waste. First of all, what is e-waste? E-waste is the term used to describe discarded electronic devices, such as old phones.[10]Samsung allows people to drop off used electronics to certain locations. It is then taken to the Global Electric Electronic Processing centre. There the hazardous materials are removed and sorted. Plastics are recycled, metals are reused. Almost everything is recycled or re-purposed at these centers.[11] Overall, Samsung has very good environmental values.
[8] Andrew Munn. Coltan Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Last Updated April 2007. University of Michigan. Accessed June 2 2014 http://sitemaker.umich.edu/section002group3/coltan_mining_in_democratic_republic_of_the_congo.
[9] Samsung. Environmental Policies. Last Updated 2008. Samsung Electronics. Accessed June 2 2014. http://www.samsung.com/us/aboutsamsung/corpcitizenship/environmentsocialreport/environmentsocialreport_PolicyOnColtan.html
[10] Wikipedia. Electronic Waste. N.d. Wikipedia. Accessed June 2 2014 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-waste
[11] Samsung. Recycling Direct. Last Updated October 31, 2013. Samsung Electronics. Accessed May 2 2014 http://pages.samsung.com/ca/green/English/