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Apple leads fact-finding mission to Indonesian island over tin

news release

Responding to a change in Apple’s ‘supplier responsibility’ page which says the company has led a fact-finding visit to Bangka Island, Indonesia to learn more about tin mining, Friends of the Earth campaigner Julian Kirby said: “Unlike Samsung and Philips, Apple still refuses to admit that its products contain tin that’s been mined at grave human and environmental cost. 

“Apple’s involvement in an Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition group looking at this issue is welcome – but there is no guarantee its members will take action, even if it comes up with useful recommendations.

“If Apple wants to be seen as a responsible company it must admit to using Bangka’s tin and commit itself to helping to solve the problem.”

ENDS

For press information please contact the Friends of the Earth media team on 020 7566 1649.

1.    Apple Supplier Responsibility page.

2.    Media briefing on Apple and its links to Bangka tin. .

3.    Key facts on tin in electronics:
* Almost half of all mined tin is turned into solder for the electronics industry. Around a third of the world’s tin is from the Indonesia islands of Bangka and Belitung.
* Average tablet/Apple iPad weighs 650g and contains 1-3g of tin-rich solder.
* All electronic gadgets contain tin-rich solder, an alloy of around 95% tin mixed with one or two other metals, to hold together resistors, transistors and circuit boards.

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