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Mission

The mission of Electronics Watch is to help public sector organisations work together, and collaborate with civil society monitors in production regions, to protect the rights of workers in their electronics supply chains.

Public buyers exercising social responsibility

Civil society organisations and democratic trade unions supporting workers in attaining their rights

Employers complying fully with domestic and international labour rights and safety standards

Brand companies and resellers disclosing suppliers and compliance data and taking effective action to remedy labour rights and safety breaches in their supply chains

News

2023 Nov 29

Meet our Affiliates: Catalan Association of Municipalities

Electronics Watch is today launching a new series called "Meet our Affiliates". The series will showcase some of our 1,538 affiliates and shine a light on the key people implementing responsible procurement within them. Today we publish the first of these profiles.

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2023 Oct 26

The "Creuseurs" ("diggers"), at the centre of the world's push for EVs, are in peril

Part two – Obstacles and opportunities to improve conditions for miners

In part one, we reported on some of the shocking working conditions that the Electronics Watch team found on our visit to cobalt mines in the DRC. Now, we look at the vested interests in Congolese politics, the mining industry, the Congolese government's desire to regulate the cobalt supply chain, and what else might be done to improve conditions.

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2023 Oct 25

The "Creuseurs" ("diggers"), at the centre of the world's push for EVs, are in peril

Part One – The precarious reality of artisanal mines

Electronics Watch travelled to Kolwezi in the province of Lualaba, in the south of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Two worlds live side by side here, without ever crossing paths. On the one hand, the world of industrial mines, with their huge machines. On the other, the tens of thousands of "diggers" in small-scale artisanal mines, armed with a simple crowbar to exploit a mineral vein, in extremely dangerous conditions. The DRC alone has 80% of the world's cobalt stocks needed to manufacture batteries to serve the demand for electric vehicles, and no less than 30% of this stock is mined in an artisanal way. One to two million Congolese people depend on this production directly or indirectly, while world demand is booming.

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AFFILIATE NOW

  1. Gain unparalleled capacity to follow up on contractual demands for compliance with labour and safety standards in your electronics supply chains through an on-the-ground monitoring network now spanning major electronics production regions worldwide.
  2. Become part of a growing network of public buyers (see list of current affiliates) with growing purchasing power and the strength to make a real difference for workers.
  3. Get support, advice, templates and toolkits to help frontline procurement staff.

and much more...

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