Programme Notes - Citizen Power

Programme Notes
Consumer Power
Programme 3
Mobile Phones

Aims:

To look at the considerations people take into account when purchasing a mobile phone.
To find out about the mining of the mineral coltan, an important raw material in the manufacture of capacitors in mobile phones.
To examine the impact international companies have on the economic and social well-being of a developing country.
To study the effects of mining coltan on the natural environment and wildlife population.
To examine the issues relating to developing ethical trading policies in commercial, complex and highly competitive world markets.

Synopsis:

00.00-00.51
Opening titles.

00.52-02.03
Customer choice - 'vox pop' interviews with young people explaining their choice of mobile phones and how often they change them.

02.04-02.51
The components required to make a mobile phone, especially the capacitor, a device that can store electrical charge and enable a mobile phone to be small in size but fast in its functioning.

02.52-4.09
The story of coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, a rare mineral from which mobile phone capacitors are made.

04.10-05.43
The impact of the 'Coltan Boom' on the people and the wildlife, especially gorillas, living in the National Parks - vast regions of wilderness and forest and the only areas available to 'ordinary workers' to search for coltan.

05.44-07.28
The impact of the civil war that broke out in the Congo in 1998.

07.29-08.38
The response of the United Nations, charities and the mobile phone companies (Sony, Ericsson and Nokia) was to call for a total ban on coltan from the Congo and some European charities even called for a total ban on all trade with the Congo.

08.39-09.56
By 2002, the boom was over and the price of coltan plummeted - one kilo of coltan was only worth 10 cents. The impact on the miners was devastating and created a desperate situation.

09.57-10.55
The response of the UN and the phone companies to the collapse of the Coltan market and the creation of new small-scale employment projects.

10.56-11.28
Greg Cummings, a director of a charity fund argues that the companies that have profited from the Congo's resources should contribute to funding these employment projects.

11.29-12.45
A companies' spokesperson presents the companies' case.

12.46-13.35
Producing 'gorilla-friendly' and 'chimpanzee-friendly' coltan and electronics.

13.36-14.48
Consumers replace mobile phones at a remarkable rate because the phone companies subsidise the cost of new phones and every year in the UK 15,000,000 mobile phones are discarded - the equivalent of 1,500 tonnes of hazardous waste in landfill sites.

14.49-18.56
Recycling and re-using mobile phones - Shields Environmental Ltd; one of the biggest recycling companies in the UK. Recycling and re-using mobile phones will ultimately reduce the speed at which we use up valuable resources. The recycled phones can also be sold on to developing countries at affordable prices.

18.57-23.46
The recycled mobile phones are sold on to Romania, one of Europe's poorest countries. A communications revolution has been created, especially among the young. However, it is among traditional workers that the impact of mobile phones has had the greatest effect. A nurse illustrates how her mobile phone has transformed the way in which she works.

23.47-end
Credits

Curriculum Relevance:

Citizenship

Knowledge and understanding about becoming informed citizens:

the opportunities for individuals and voluntary groups to bring about social change locally, nationally, in Europe and internationally
the wider issues and challenges of global interdependence and responsibility, including sustainable development and Local Agenda 21

Developing skills of enquiry and communication:

express, justify and defend orally and in writing a personal opinion about a topical political, spiritual, moral, social or cultural issue

Consumer rights and responsibilities

Debating a global issue

Global issues, local action

Business Studies

to develop an appreciation of the responsibilities that businesses face in reacting to environmental and community concerns
to develop an appreciation of the changing roles and responsibilities that businesses face in reacting to environmental and community concerns

Background Information:

There are 45,000 mobile phones in use in the UK at this moment.
77% of the population own at least one mobile phone.
90% of 15 - 25 year olds own a mobile phone.

Coltan

Coltan is a dull metallic ore. When refined, it becomes metallic tantalum, a powder that can hold a high electrical charge. This property makes it a vital element in creating capacitors, the electronic element that controls current flow inside miniature circuit boards, especially in mobile phones.

Some of the world's richest deposits of coltan are found in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa. The discovery of coltan in The Congo should have been a blessing for this struggling country. A big advantage is that in this area coltan is found very near to the surface of the ground and so it is relatively easy to extract.

In 2000, the estimated demand for mobile phones and other electronic goods was at a record high. The price of coltan on the world market in December 2000 reached $400 per lb compared with less than $50 per lb in January 2000. As a result of the coltan boom, workers in the Congo who had earned $1 a day were able to earn $80 a day as miners. All across eastern Congo large numbers of people from all sections of the community, including children, rushed to join the 'Coltan Boom'.

As quickly as the ore could be dug out of the earth, it was sold on to traders, loaded on to ships and exported. Landowners and people with rights to land were the first to benefit from the boom but the only place that 'ordinary' people could go to search for coltan was in the National Parks. These large areas of untouched wilderness and forests are the last refuge for many wild animals, including gorillas. The coltan diggers killed these animals and other species as 'bush meat' for food - out of a population of 20,000 gorillas it is believed that less than 1,000 survived the coltan boom.

The Civil War in The Congo and Coltan

The coltan boom coincided with the outbreak of a bloody civil war in the Congo in 1998. The mineral-rich eastern region was overrun by armies from neighbouring countries while, at the same time, other local groups rebelled against the Government and formed their own militias.

There was a chaotic free-for-all and coltan was one of the 'ingredients' that kept the war going. Various militia imposed taxes on coltan mines under their control while the demand for mobile phones in the west continued to keep the price of coltan at an all-time high. As a result, the militias made an estimated $250,000,000. Much of this money was spent on weapons and since 1998 over 3,000,000 people have died as a result of the war in eastern Congo. Life was very difficult for all people. When the United Nations, charities and the mobile phone companies realised that the money from the coltan trade was fuelling the civil war, a total ban was called on using Congolese coltan or even trading at all with the Congo.

By 2002, the boom was over - coltan supplies were found in other countries and manufacturers were using less of it in their phones. The price of coltan plummeted to 10 cents per kilo and the miners could no longer make a living to keep themselves and their families. The UN and the companies realised that the change in the coltan trade had directly contributed to the desperate situation of the people. The UN and the companies had a responsibility to respond and they suggested that mines should be regulated for everyone's benefit.

Local Congolese charities looked at alternative ways for people to make money in establishing new small-scale employment projects such as teaching local women sewing skills. The income from their sewing enabled them to sell goods in local markets.

Ethical Trading

The small-scale employment projects cost money to develop and Greg Cummings, a director of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, a charity working in the Congo argues that the companies that have profited from using the Congo's resources have a responsibility and should contribute to funding these projects. He explains that there is a long way to go before companies take on the issues of 'ethical business'. Many of them only pay lip service to the idea and they are not really prepared to become involved.

A companies' spokesperson presents their case. There is a 'chain' involved here and everybody bears some responsibility for the situation - the consumers who buy the products; the people who sell the products to us; the people who make them and the people involved in making the components. All are links in the chain of responsibility.

Companies exist to make profits. Responsible companies make profits and do it without causing too much harm and, where possible, they will do good. They are not charitable agencies or development or humanitarian or disaster relief agencies. The situation is one that affects a large number of people and is influenced by a large number of industries. It is very difficult for a single company to accept full responsibility for a specific set of circumstances and to pay for it. To do this would not be within the nature of their business. Everybody within the chain has some responsibility.

What are the Options?

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is working to introduce legal coltan mines away from the National Parks. There is a lot of room not only to improve the conditions of the miners but also to be able to plough some money back into gorilla and chimpanzee protection. These initiatives serve to protect world heritage sites and through these schemes it is hoped that it will be possible to produce 'gorilla-friendly' and 'chimpanzee-friendly' coltan and electronics.
Recycling and re-using mobile phones. 15,000,000 mobile phones are discarded every year in the UK because the phone companies subsidise the cost of new phones and, if they are dumped into landfill sites, they produce dangerous toxic waste. Shields Environmental is one of the UK's biggest recycling companies. It recycles mobile phones by breaking them down into their component parts and recycling the raw materials or, where possible, repairing them and reselling them, especially to developing countries, at affordable prices under a scheme called 'Fonebak'. This scheme is a profit-making business run in co-operation with the network operators and some major high street shops. It has attracted the support of many companies, including Dixons and T-mobile.

Activities:

Working in groups devise a plan for the mobile phone companies to work in an effective and realistic ethical way that will benefit the miners of coltan on the one hand and you the buyer of a mobile phone on the other.
Organise a campaign to persuade young people to reduce the number of times they change their mobile phones. Describe the strategies you would use and explain the qualities of the product and other points that you would wish to emphasise.
Explain how the ‘Coltan Boom’ affected the Congo communities and environment.
The mobile phone manufacturers appear to accept no responsibility for the problems caused by the increased demand for coltan in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
a) Look into business activity in your local area.
b) Try to find examples of businesses that do not behave in a totally ethical way.
c) Try to explain why certain businesses might behave in an unethical way.

Links:

This web page contains links to other websites that are not under the control of and are not maintained by Channel 4 Television. Channel 4 Television is not responsible for the content of these sites and does not necessarily endorse the material on them.

What is coltan?
A site describing coltan, how it is mined and its political, social and environmental impact on the Congo

Coltan, Gorillas and cell phones
A site describing coltan, how it is mined; its influence on the civil war in the Congo and the effect of mining coltan on the gorilla population in the Kahuzi Biega National Park, home of the Mountain Gorilla

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works internationally to save the mountain gorillas from extinction and ensure that local people genuinely benefit from their unique natural heritage

Born Free Coltan Report
The Impact of Coltan Mining on Gorillas and other Wildlife in Eastern Congo. A report by Ian Redmond wildlife consultant and chairman of the Ape Alliance commissioned by the Born Free Foundation and the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund Europe

Shields Environmental
The company website of one of the biggest recycling companies in the UK specialising in recycling and re-using mobile phones

Credits:
Produced by Squeeze Productions in association with IBT for Channel 4

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Presenter: DJ Rap
Archive: ITN Archive; Journeyman Pictures Ltd: PAN UK
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Production Manager: Maggie Swinfen
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Camera: Will Pugh; Matt Wyer; David Langan
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On-line Editor: Simon McMahon
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Producer/Director: Nicci Crowther
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Mobile phones programme
Presenter: DJ Rap
Archive: arle G.E.I.E; Channel 4 television; Ian Redmond Born Free Foundation; ITN/Reuters; VAT; World Society for the Protection of Animals; with thanks to Gartner Research
Consultant: Adrienne Jones
Archive Research: Georgia Burn
Production Manager: Maggie Swinfen
Graphics: Catti Calthorp
Sound: Angus Anderson; Chris Reynolds
Camera: Sam Gracey; Matt Wyer; Jonathon Marchant
Dubbing Mixer: Jez Spencer
On-line Editor: Simon McMahon
Off-line Editor: Theo Williams
Series Producer: Nicci Crowther
Producer/Director: Emma Wallace
Webnotes: John Austin