Naivete
July 25th, 2008I don’t want to downplay the significance of natural resource-generated conflict; anyone familiar with the story of oil in Russia or DeBeers in Africa, at a minimum, is likely aware of the problems that can be caused by demand for scarce resources in low-income nations. But to blame Sony for the Rwandan violence associated with coltan seems to be a little naive.
As the article notes, coltan is a key component in a whole host of electronics components, including cell phones and computers. Demand for the metal allegedly resulting from Sony’s launch of the PS2 caused a coltan-fueled rush in the Congo (confusingly, the article mentions both the Congo and Rwanda, but doesn’t elaborate on whether or not the issue resulted from Rwandan troops, which have periodically invaded the DR Congo’s borders), and resulted in slave labor and similar atrocities.
That said, it seems a little silly to absolve the actual aggressors here of responsibility for their own actions. They were not forced to take the steps that they did, and denying them agency is irresponsible in and of itself. Given that the violence was not imminently foreseeable - and it appears it was not - I don’t really see how you can fault Sony for this. Additionally, the company’s response seems to have been ideal. Once it became aware of the issue, it stopped purchasing Congolese coltan and now sources from a variety of other mines. The simple fact that people will want to obtain a valuable resource is not a sufficient reason to avoid pursuing it at all.
Posted in Geoff, Sony |
July 25th, 2008 at 10:36 am
This is a challenging concept. While I’ll agree that Sony is absolutely not “at fault” or “to blame”, I will say that Sony (et al) was a contributor and a “causal factor” in the situation. That distinction is clearly at issue in the linked article.
That being said, Sony (et al) buying the mineral from other sources may absolve them ethically, but doesn’t change much. I’m guessing Coltan is a global commodity, much like oil, in that if you increase demand, the price goes up no matter where you buy it.
Basically, even if Sony sources Coltan from some other country, the price will still be driven up globally and the problematic conditions will still exist in Rwanda/Congo.
So, what’s to be done? Sony can’t really DO anything else beyond attempting to design future hardware revisions with components that use less of the material.
As stated by Geoff, the onus is truly on the men and governments involved in the behavior. High prices and demand are no excuse for this type of thing, which is ultimately the thing that protects corporations from having the blame laid at their doorstep.