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Electronics Industry Supply Chain

Electronics Industry Supply Chain. Ruth Rosenbaum, TC PhD CREA. Question: Who is Responsible?. In many countries, local and national governments are responsible for the labor laws and the environmental laws under which factories operate and workers work.

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Electronics Industry Supply Chain

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  1. Electronics IndustrySupply Chain Ruth Rosenbaum, TC PhD CREA

  2. Question: Who is Responsible? In many countries, local and national governments are responsible for the labor laws and the environmental laws under which factories operate and workers work. BUT in many other countries, governments do not govern to protect their people (the workers and their communities) and the environment.

  3. Question of Responsibility • When governments do not govern to protect workers and the environment, the question arises: who has the power to create the standards under which factories and businesses operate? • The whole system of Codes of Conduct, Compliance programs, audits, etc. is needed BECAUSE governments do not govern to protect their people, their communities and the environment.

  4. Power of the Corporations • We require corporations to be accountable for this “governing” because: 1. They have the power to effect change. 2. Shareholders and consumers hold them accountable.

  5. Why we are interested in supply chains • Years ago, companies owned and operated the factories and systems which produced their products. • They could decide and enforce the labor standards within those factories. • However even then, these companies did not produce the materials from which their products were made.

  6. The Old Apparel Industry • Company X owned the factories and mills that manufactured their products. Even then, however, they bought the buttons, zippers, thread, etc. from other companies. • These other companies were their suppliers • However because these suppliers were relatively local, the apparel company know how these other factories were being run.

  7. Supply Chains in the Global Economy • Materials can originate almost anywhere in the world. • Assembly can take place almost any place in the world. • In the apparel sector, a garment is marked “made in country x”. It is simple.

  8. There is nothing simple about the Electronics Sector • Electronic instruments, e.g. computers, can only be marked “assembled in country x”. • Essentially the inside of any computer is like the United Nations. • To illustrate the complexity of the Electronics Supply Chain, CREA staff disassembled an old computer to see who made which components where.

  9. The Computer CD drive CD/DVD writer Power Supply Floppy Drive Intel Chip Ports attached to motherboard Gateway computer Fan Case

  10. Once we go inside, we see… Power Supply Wire harness Motherboard

  11. Major Computer Components Power Supply CD/DVD writer CD drive Hard drive Floppy Drive Mother Board

  12. Complexities inside the Components

  13. And then there is the monitor… Gateway monitor

  14. But again, when we opened it…

  15. Going deeper, we found…

  16. Major Components • Hard drives: Seagate, Western Digital • CD/DVD drives: Liteonit • Motherboards: • Batteries: Maxell (Hitachi) • Wire harnesses: Lucent • Processor Chips: AMD, Intel • Memory (RAM):

  17. Major Manufacturers Seagate Flextronics Western Digital Solectron Lite-On-It Jabil Hitachi Foxconn Lucent Celestica AMD SCI Sanmina Intel Elta Electronics and others…

  18. Supply Chain Example Components Capacitors Chips Circuits Memory With separate supply chains for the monitors, keyboards, mice, etc.

  19. What has the Brand Name on it is the result of the work of many workers in many countries.

  20. The Underlying Problems • The labor issues found in any assembly factory in any industry: wages, working hours, etc. • Health issues related to: • Repetitive motion injuries • Exposure to solvents during assembly • Exposure to other chemicals, including heavy metals, during assembly

  21. Environmental Issuesduring assembly • Exposure of workers to chemicals used in assembly process • Disposal of chemicals used during assembly – possible environmental and community contamination

  22. Toxic Chemical Exposure during production Many toxic substances are used during the production of electronics components. These include, but are not limited to: Brominated flame, retardants, cadmium, mercury, lead, tantalum, epoxy, copper, isopropyl alcohol, hexavalent chromium. Effects of exposure can include cancer, nervous system problems, brain damage, blood diseases, etc.

  23. Environmental IssuesDisposal Disposal of plastics (non-biodegradability) Disposal of hazardous wastes

  24. RECYCLINGrealities and questions • Some computers are recycled to groups and communities who are beginners on computers. • Basic computers differ only in terms of speed, storage space and RAM (think of it as desk top space)

  25. Software • Different programs require different speeds, sizes of hard drives (storage) and RAM (space for active working). • As programs become more complex, the computers needed to run them must be more complex.

  26. Computer Operating Systems: Windows, et al • In addition, each operating systems version, whether for Windows for Apple, places demands on the speed, storage and RAM of the computers.

  27. Effect on Recycling • While some components are recycle-able, many are not, simply because computers need the operating systems and software to run them.

  28. Types of Recycling • Components • Use of whole systems by groups • Export of computers to developing countries NOTE: This last requires LOTS OF ATTENTION!

  29. Recycled computers in developing countries • Many computers and components are not usable. • Unusable computers and components end up in garbage dumps. • Heavy metals in computer components contaminate the communities’ land and water.

  30. Our Work in the Electronics Sector • Labor rights issues • Environmental exposure issues during production • Environmental issues related to waste disposal during production • Environmental issues related to recycling • Examining the programs, policies and practices of the companies from which we buy our computers and other electronics equipment

  31. These are not just contract supplier issues but also issues related to - Human Rights - Environmental Justice - Sustainability

  32. Core Questions • To whom does the EICC apply? • If the suppliers of components are multinational corporations themselves, how do we influence these corporations? • How far down an electronics supply chain does a brand have influence? power? control?

  33. These are not just questions of which companies are in which tiers but rather getting at the locations in the manufacture/assembly/ supply chain where we can realistically have influence.

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