It recently occurred to me that making eggs and making iPhones are really not too different.With the ongoing salmonella outbreak making many Americans give serious thought to where their food comes from (or at least watch Food, Inc. or read Omnivore’s Dilemma), I’d like to point out that a similar production problem exists with all of the shiny new electronics that we all buy.
When I ask you to think about where your iPhone comes from, I’m not talking about “The Apple Store” or “Radio Shack.” I’m talking about China, specifically the FoxConn factories there.
FoxConn workers are paid an average of $.85 per hour, work 12 hour days, don’t get paid for the overtime required to meet missed production quotas, aren’t allowed to talk at all during work, and live in dorms within the factory. Oh – and if you don’t finish your rice at lunch, you get fined. See for yourself here.
Things are no better over at a Microsoft factory in China, where workers make $.65/hour, but get deducted for their food, taking home only $.52/hour. They must work 15 hour days, with no airconditioning. Sometimes the best they can do is snag a few minutes of naptime when the boss isn’t looking:
When you think about it, these conditions really aren’t that different than those of the chickens now laying poisoned eggs: close quarters, long days, encouragement to work longer periods than is natural, all for the goal of a lower price on store shelves.
Sustainability is important in our food production systems, but it’s also important in the systems of production for other consumer products. This article only addresses one small part of the chain required to get your iPhone in your hand. It doesn’t cover the dangerous mining practices required for the precious metals on the chips, or the piles of digital waste being shipped to third world countries after a particular technology falls out of favor.
While we continue to hurtle forward with new technological innovations, it would behoove us all to put some thought, and perhaps some money, towards righting many of the wrongs that we’ve so long ignored. I’m just as guilty of ignoring these problems as everyone else. Part of the inspiration for this post is putting this issue front and center in my own life. I don’t mean to cast judgement or place blame, simply to bring an important issue to light.
As we move together as a society towards examining the sources of the things that make up our daily lives, I encourage you to give some serious thought to the source of your electronics and what ramifications your techno-inclinations have on others in the world.
