Nintendo Under Fire For Not Improving Supply Lines And Sourcing Minerals From Conflict Zones

oh hai neo-colonialism!

I've known about this problem for a while now and I wish this topic was talked about more among Nintendo fans and the public in general because that would probably be the greatest source of pressure on Nintendo to really crackdown on this.

Wow. Seems like the suppliers should be the ones taking the most heat. As sad as the conditions in places like the one described are, the world still needs to go round and companies still have to make products. Speaking of products, where is Hyper Light Drifter and Dark Souls...?

When reports like this pop up, it makes me question companies that we follow. Should we treat those companies like an all out source of evil and it is bad to still like the company just for having a good collection of individual product developers like Shigeru Miyamoto and Masahiro Sakurai despite knowingly giving indirect support of savage militias and the terror that follows?

I’ve never heard of this........ why has this not been talked about?!!!?!!?!!? Slave labor in 2018?

@gloom I heard about it some time ago but news moved on and I guess I did too but now that it's still an issue I feel something should be done immediately but all of that depends upon the public who are enabling Nintendo to enable slave laborers who are also enabling armed militias to abuse rights of people.

Hm....

This isn't news in the sense that it's not new. Nintendo is not alone in this practice. Most major multi-national companies do this because they have to to remain competitive. Until national and international laws and treaties change, companies are not going to.

It's not a moral issue. Companies don't have morals, they are, effectively a machine. A machine designed to make money. They will take advantage of whatever cost saving methods they can, that we, the public, via our elected officials, allow them to use. Companies do not "self-regulate" and public outrage will generate little more than temporary alterations to corporate structures to appease the public until their attention is draw elsewhere. The only way to effect change on situations like this is via government rules and regulations. Otherwise, these practices are legal and companies will use them because they wont be able to remain viable otherwise. If even one company takes advantage of the, all must to compete. If it is legal and profitable, companies will do it. That's how they are designed. Even Nintendo.

and here's how to say "but I like nintendo so it's okay" in every possible way!

I really can’t speak for or against this situation. Business is business. If people really want to go after a company for bad business practices look no further than Walmart.

@gloom You don't wanna know anything about India then if you don't wanna hear about slave labor...

Anyways, at least now we know why the cartridges are so damn expensive. Slaves ain't cheap.

@Heavyarms55 Just my two cents no one asked for
But I completely get what you're saying and you shouldn't necessarily just boycott and argue how a company is evil etcetc
Even small businesses do things morally grey for the environment etc to get by.

However I wouldn't say you should outright absolve them of any responsibility at all. A lot of businesses are going more green or sourcing fairtrade products because the public (and the news) have become a large voice of reason.
It is, again, to make money as it makes them look good etc but it is for the greater good in the end.

So what I'm trying to say is we shouldn't go bats$#t crazy and argue over how a company is demonic but also we should talk about it and provide the information.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92FCRmggNqQ

@Elvie I agree that we should talk about it, but just for Nintendo feels like too small a scale. Nintendo is certainly in the wrong and needs to change their actions, but other companies need to do so as well. This is an issue that affects many products, and the video game industry is only a small part of that. In my opinion, we should pressure our governments to place stricter regulations on this. That’s the only way to stop companies from taking unethical routes with their products.

Good job to Microsoft and Apple for doing well btw.

EDIT: To clarify what I mean, I think we should put pressure on Nintendo to act more ethically, but we should also do the same for every company that chooses to ignore these problems.

Thank you for reporting this. The gaming community needs to put pressure on Nintendo to change their policies and not support slave labor. This is a good start.

I don't get it. What's the alternative? Not to buy from Africa? I bet that would be worse for their economy since it's less international money going in. Or would it be better to try to force African suppliers to do things correctly by current other parts of the world standards? In that case wouldn't their price necessarily go up thus making African supplies become less competitive, making them lose the business anyway? And how would you force that? I'm genuinely asking, I don't know this issue in particular, just trying to analyse it from a realistic perspective. It seems possible that the solution isn't to simply boycot companies, you could be hurting those you're trying to defend. Unless I'm wrong and they could change easily. edit: okay I read it again and it seems that the problem isn't the slave-like line of work per se, but the funding of armed conflict.

@Liam_Doolan Thank you for writing this article. Would you all at Nintendo Life be willing to ask Nintendo for further comment on this during an interview or something?

Obviously actual slavery is a big deal if it's happening but it's worth pointing out that based on the UN's declaration of human rights, MOST countries around the world are "human rights" abusers.
Hardly any countries meet all of the agreed upon "rights".

Blood on their Joy-Cons.

This really shouldn't be going on in 2018. They do it because it's cheaper then sourcing ethical materials. End of. It's greedy companies.

If there is anything good to say about this, at least it sounds like they are moving in the right direction by reducing the percentage of materials from these slave driving war mongers.

@Liam_Doolan Thank you, I appreciate it.

I’m curious what slave labor means exactly. When reports go out like this they always use the strongest language possible and sometimes it is really misleading. You see the strongest possible language for almost any activism these days, hence why we see Nazi thrown around by everyone so much. I hate that is has made me question the sincerity of these reports but I just see too much of it.

I am not suggesting I support any of what is happening but I just want to know what exactly is happening. Are these people who work the mines truly owned property or is it more a comment on the conditions?

On another note I wonder how much of this is actually just using suppliers from China? China has locked up a lot of the resources in Africa with deals that go back some time. China itself doesn’t exactly have a great record.

i really don't se how this is a problem against Nintendo since they are not the ones doing it.

@DABYX I didn't mean to imply they have no responsibility in the matter. Of course they have some responsibility. I simply mean that, companies will do this because it's how they are designed and they wont change without real, legal, requirements to change. Individual humans have the ability to make judgement calls on things in a manner other than a purely cost/benefit analysis. But corporations don't have that. Corporations operate purely in terms of legality and profit motive.
A. What options are legal?
B. Which legal option will make the most money?

That's it. That's the nature of the beast. Any judgement calls a company has to make comes from trying to decide things like the best quality and cost balance or how much product to make based on expected sales. No company asks "is this the moral thing to do?" or " "Is this the just option?" Unless those questions are directly related to a marketing ploy or a public relations issue.

@Heavyarms55

It is still scummy though no matter how anyone tries to word it.

@Nehalem When it comes to mining for minerals in Congo the problem with slave labour has been known for a quite a while. This might give you a quick breakdown of what it means in practice:
https://www.freetheslaves.net/where-we-work/congo/

The problem is with the source not with Nintendo or any other company (they have little options available to be honest).

It's the mining companies the ones people and governments should be after.

I'd go as far as compare it with the drug world. To solve anything (if that's even possible) you need to target the producers/sellers not the buyers.

I'm not saying that Nintendo should be more selective with its providers though, but putting the blame on them is absurd.

Ethics are for losers. I don't enforce labour upon anybody. What other people decide to do is on them. I ain't here to change the world, I've got too many games to play.

There really needs to be more pressure on Nintendo (and other companies) to be more ethical, we shouldn't just ignore human rights issues because it's convenient or "everyone does it"

This is really disappointing to learn about. Just because a company is very large does not give them the right to cut costs through unethical practices.

Pick and choose your battles. Donate to a charity/cause of choice at least a little each year. And if this gives us pause to be less materialistic and support unethical business practices less, than that’s more money that can go towards companies with better track records and/or causes we wish to support.

I am not saying this is by any means right, but while companies hide behind things like 'fairtrade' or 'zero carbon', then this will always be a very clouded subject!

This is a worldwide epidemic and until something goes badly wrong it will not change. Business is raping the world and consumers are buying into it.

We all are guilty so please cut the self righteous 'they should do more' line please.

Did no one read the article? Nintendo isn't intentionally hiring slave laborers, the surveys are meant to crack down on that but clearly more needs to be done in the vetting process.

The survey results aren't as bad for Microsoft or Nintendo, but Sony is the real concerning one. Worst results of the bunch and they're the only one of the 3 who deals in manufacturing TVs and Bluray players.

Anyone remember the small war that occurred due to the PS2?

Kids downloading Nintendo ROMs - criminals! thieves! it is against the law! They harm poor Nintendo.

Nintendo getting resources from slave labour, financing wars, mass murdering people, kids etc. - normal business practice, good Nintendo.

@SBandy I agree. That's why I support outlawing it.

Simple reality is there are ethical sources for these minerals, a number of countries in Latin America alongside Australia provide clean sources for the same materials.

Nintendo shouldn't be using unaccredited third party materials suppliers, it should be checking the supply chains of their suppliers so they aren't using smelters buying raw materials illegally. The purchase, export and use of conflict minerals in many cases is illegal, and slavery is internationally banned.

Nintendo has a duty to do the correct thing here, not just ethically, but in many nations it operates in also legally.

If Apple is one of the top ethical sourcing companies, then I find hard to believe the reliability of this list...

"The company is once again under fire for not improving its supply lines"

"In 2014, Nintendo was only able to certify 47 percent of its suppliers weren’t committing human rights violations. This number was improved in 2016 to 72 percent and went to 76 percent in 2017 "

So improving from 47% to 76% in 3 years isnt an improvement?

@Heavyarms55 Well said. And for those shocked that slave labor exists in 2018; slavery never went away. Unfortunately, many regions in Africa are perpetually in a state of conflict, and use children for armies and villages to mine material to fund them.

While this certainly is true and not news to me, Nintendo have made a lot of improvements in the last few years in this regard.

Sony on the other hand seem to be dead set on doing nothing. If this continues, i smell a "boycott unethical companies" coming.

of course..... apple....

They do make sure they do everything perfect for consumers though, wouldn't want a Facebook problem

@Heavyarms55 @FlimFlam @DABYX @dew12333
You guys seem to have the most rational responses.

I reasoned that it probably isn't wise to do a large scale boycott of Nintendo or other companies but I felt bad for thinking that way like I was being indifferent to others.

Thanks for your comments for adding some clarity on the issue because it is what I needed.

I realized after seeing the D.R.C. typed here and a little research that this problem actually connects to this species of ape I have known for a few years called the Bonobo.

Bonobos are close relatives of chimpanzee that live along the Congo River and the various wars and conflicts has reduced their population due to militias destroying their habitats and hunting them for their meat.

Bonobos are facing a endangered status because of the assortment of environmental problems like mining for these resources,making conflict resources both human rights and environmental issues.

I'll try to do whatever I can to help fix this problem,whether it be donations, petitions, or even something like calling upon my own government (which I doubt they would do anything) since clearly typing boycotts and rants in all-caps letters to a company's Twitter account isn't enough.

It's wonderful that every once in a while people get all upset about conflict minerals and slave labor occurring when corporations buy materials from tiny countries most people couldn't place on a map of the hemispheres. Meanwhile everyone conveniently ignores that nearly every single item they have ever owned is made in PRC, India, or one of a dozen other "trade partners" which follow the exact same practices simply without selling titles of ownership for their slave-like workers (because they are owned by the state by definition), and that's entirely ok.

Newsflash: IF you want to stop abuse, you'll start buying only things made 100% Europe, NA, Japan, SK, UK, AUS, NZ. And you'll also get used to $1000 Switches with $300 games, and $2300 telephones. Everyone's willing to be a slaver if it makes their life better and they don't have to crack the whip themselves. The uncomfortable realities of the modern (and all prior) worlds....people talk about wanting change but don't actually want change because the results are going to overwhelmingly impact every aspect of their lives.

@Heavyarms55 People make up a business. Businesses need to stand up for ethical practices. Just because you can do something does not mean that you should do something unethical just to get a few extra bucks.

The steel industry has largely pushed back against the use of conflict minerals which shows it is possible. The process is not complete but ungoing.

It requires organizations to take charge and make the push-- pushing from the consumer level will never make it happen. Organizations, likely of several companies together, must band together and make an industry-wide push. In an industry with as few players as this one (processors or video games or however you look at it), this industry should be able to push back and be successful.

@Elvie Don’t worry, you definitely did not seem indifferent to others. The tough thing about this is that just by living we contribute to the problem. Just buying a T-shirt supports a complicated supply chain that includes poorly paid workers in sweatshops and environmentally-unfriendly practices. I can see from your profile that we are fellow Americans. Unfortunately for us, conservation and human rights abuses abroad don’t seem to get much attention nowadays from our government. So, in addition to donating and petitioning the government, I would recommend helping candidates who align with your values win office. You can do that through donating to or volunteering for their campaigns.

Also, can you give me the links you found about how this issue affects the Bonobo? I would really like to learn more.

@Heavyarms55 Totally. Wasn't trying to imply you meant anything else or putting words in your mouth just shooting my own opinion

Unfortunately it's the same deal with pretty much everything in the world.

Yeah, you're definitely right about conversation efforts being largely abandoned by the government. My congressman, for example, has terrible views on the environment with statements like ''If global warming exists, God will take care of it for us''. I guess economies are so rigid in their structure that it takes decades just to add commonsense and ethics to them.

Anyway, here are a few links to sites detailing facts and threats to Bonobos. They are an interesting species so I'm sure you will enjoy learning about them.
https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/bonobo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bonobo
https://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/bonobo
This link is about Gorillas, not Bonobos but I'm safely assuming this overlaps into what threatens them as well. -> https://www.reuters.com/article/us-africa-gorillas/illegal-mining-hits-congo-gorilla-population-conservationists-idUSKCN0X30T2M

@Elvie Thanks for the links. And, hey, it’s an election year - maybe you can help flip your district’s House seat or, depending on where you live, flip a Senate seat. Both chambers are pretty evenly split, so even a small change can make a big difference.

@FlimFlam One of my former teachers has recommended a candidate that she personally knew so I have a good idea on who to vote in November. After getting a very automated, generic letter from my Representative that was clearly typed out before my e-mail message discussing my concern was sent, I'm going to make sure that he fails.

@coolaggro It's not gonna happen and it's not gonna work. Companies only stand up to things like this if the public pressures them to, and will abandon it once pressure dies down. Individuals within a company cannot make a strong enough or lasting difference. Companies do no self-regulate and the idea that they would do something that makes them less money because it's the "right thing to do" is laughable. At best, they will say that's what they are doing as a marketing or publicity stunt and nothing more.

Everything you buy is funding some military somewhere through taxes (which is just another form of slavery). How are companies supposed to know where the line should be drawn? I'm not saying they should use these materials, but why should they instead use material from i.e. the US, China or Russia. Buying material from there will also fund horrible regimes that have a known track record of torture, incarcination withouth trial etc. Perhaps Nintendo (or their suppliers) thinks the side they are funding is the good guys who would fix the problems and establish law and order in the place. Who is the best judge of these things?

@Elvie Good on you. Good luck.

I’ve also changed my mind on this issue somewhat. I think I’m going to start a personal temporary boycott on many different companies until I know that they’re actions align with my values. I also need to learn more about this issue to understand it better.

@FlimFlam Thanks, I hope our causes gain some traction.

@EightBitMan
I know it's the image associated with them but that's all it is,an image.

I've known about this Nintendo conflict mineral problem for a while but you seem to be implying that there is more to this and I'm curious by what that could be. Is it the rumor that one of Nintendo's Presidents put a hit out on Gunpei Yokoi to stop him from potentially giving away trade secrets or is their Disney mind set to being extremely protective of their I.P.s?

@gloom Where I live in this very city there is human trafficking and slave labor... it's very real still in 2018 all over the world.

@invictus4000 Uhh no. Big companies like Apple, Sony, Nintendo have the power to enforce ethical standards, because of their sheer size and suppliers depending on them. Instead, they prefer a race to the bottom, setting unrealistically low price-points for suppliers, producing in-house CSR reports that primarily serve to make them look good. When a story does come out, they'll just point at the suppliers, putting the blame on them, while striking up all the dough on their big profit margins. Criminals.

If a person acts the way some companies do, we put them in jail and consider them psychopaths. But because it's companies, it's just "business as usual".

@gloom I posted this on a Nintendo forum years ago. Noone cared. They'd rather engage in the umpteenth discussion on Nintendo 3rd party support or salivate over the newest shiny thing coming out. Bunch of man-children.

@nesrocks Why limit slavery to far off countries and not reinstate it here? Gotta be competitive!

@Mortenb So if you can't source something 100% ethically, might as well go for the worse option? Your argument calls for apathy and indecisiveness. Companies, governments, even we as individuals, should strive to do better. Otherwise it is a case of criminal neglect.

Nintendo is always the most enviroment unfriendly. It is known for years.