Workers are getting sick from iPhones?

I read a news article that Chinese workers claim to suffer severe health effects in the manufacture of screens for iPhones. Ugh… I thought to myself – oh bummer, what a horrible situation and lousy to everyone involved, especially the workers.

Article: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2011/03/workers-in-china-your-iphone-cost-us-our-health.html

I love my iPhone. Many of my family and friends own one too. I think that they are beautifully designed, innovative, user friendly and a joy to use. This news doesn’t make me want to give up my iPhone, however it feels like I just got a big scratch on the screen.

At EO, we’ve never used the terrible chemical that is claimed to be the culprit in this melee, n-hexane. We try not to have any harsh chemicals in our building, much less use them. We do this by choice and it’s not an easy task as many products don’t list their ingredients and you have to be very diligent to find them. Fortunately for me, there are 3 chemists on staff at EO who know a lot more about this stuff than I do. What I do have, is a passion to always question and demand ingredients and products to be more “green”, sustainable or preferably organic. It’s legal in the US to not list all ingredients in products, even though they are harsh, may have unknown effects or worse, known effects.

To me, this incident begs the questions, “What effects does manufacturing have on the health of the factory workers whose labor benefits the rest of us?” And, “Who is working to make sure that the price of a product does not include the good health of the people who make them, but does include thoughtful practices, good medical care and healthy working conditions?” Ultimately, it’s We the People who decide.

I deal with news like this to continue doing the best that I can do at EO (and in my life). To be responsible for my actions as though my kids make and use every product. I must ensure that all of our processes are done in an engaged and responsible manner so that every employee will be safe, our consumers will be safe and our planet will be safe.

The outdated objective of business – money, money, money – inherently drives expenses down to increase profits. This leads to beautiful looking products that don’t optimize their opportunity, use cheap foreign labor and expose us all to potential hazards.

Profit needs to include people and the earth, a triple bottom-line. Successful triple bottom line companies are driven by the board room, not the marketing department. I don’t know what the Apple board demands besides soaring stock prices, however it should include a safer workplace and greener earth.

I took this photo with my iPhone this morning: