makeITfair is a European project focusing on the electronics industry, especially on consumer electronics such as mobile phones, laptops and MP3 players. Young people across Europe will be kept informed about the labour abuses and environmental problems that are ongoing right now around the world – merely to satisfy demand for all the latest electronic gadgets. It is important that young people become active in improving the situation. By acting together, big brand electronics companies can be held to account – asking them to take responsibility for labour abuses and environmental damage at the bottom of their supply chain.
makeITfair is coordinated by the Dutch organisation SOMO (Centre for Research on Multinational Corporations). Project partners are SwedWatch and Fair Trade Center from Sweden, FinnWatch and Finnish Association for Nature Conservation from Finland; Germanwatch and Verbraucher Initiative from Germany, ACIDH from the DR Congo, CIVIDEP from India and SACOM from China.
What have makeITfair done?
In 2009 makeITfair took a closer look at the manufacturing of laptops, Mp3-players and gaming consoles. Swedwatch published the report “Out of control” about e-waste.
In 2008 makeITfair focused on the manufacture of mobile phones. Swedwatch looked closer at the working conditions of the employees at assembly factories in China and the Philippines in the report "Silenced to deliver".
In 2007, three reports were published by makeITfair showing how the global electronics industry uses a great deal of the world’s rare, valuable metals.
Four consumer guides have been published by makeITfair, in these guides the consumer is provided with proper information on how to contribute to improvements.
makeITfair also offers an interactive web quest for educational purposes. The web quest is designed for school use or in study groups. The aim of the game is to open up a mobile phone reseller and on the way to success the participant receives information on the downsides of the industry. The participant will also learn about how consumers and organisations can implement change in the industry.
Read all makeITfairs reports.
