Got blood on your cell phone?
Beware - the maker of your mobile phone may not want you to know about this
Hey, your cell phone, laptop or tablet likely has a rare metallic ore called coltan in it. Now maybe, you’ve never heard of coltan, but your device probably wouldn’t even turn on without it.
Coltan is extremely useful. It contains a key metal that’s used to manufacture lightbulbs, computers, vacuum cleaners and nowadays, solar panels.
But have you ever heard of blood diamonds? Well, coltan is a blood mineral, AKA, a conflict mineral. Conflict minerals are dirty secrets that the electronic industry doesn’t want you to know about.
From Mine to Mobile Phone: The Conflict Minerals Supply Chain
Let me break it down:
Conflict minerals are natural, raw minerals that finance warfare. Rebel soldiers, oppressive dictatorships, genocides, conflict, systematic rape, human rights abuses — these things are often perpetuated and funded by money generated from the extraction and sale of conflict minerals.
