The investigation of a Brazilian daily denounces illegal practices for the procurement of the mineral to build hi-tech devices
Gold is one of the fundamental materials in the construction of technological devices, and the procurement by manufacturing companies is not always ethical and carried out respecting the environment and the places where the precious material is extracted. The Brazilian newspaper
Repórter Brasil
revealed in an investigation that four major tech companies allegedly used illegal gold from the country’s indigenous lands, located in the Amazon rainforest. This gold was mainly used for smartphones and computers from Apple and Microsoft, as well as for servers from Amazon and Google. The indicted refineries are those of the Chimet and Marsam companies, currently under investigation by the Brazilian federal police for carrying out illegal actions in protected areas of the Amazon and damaging the environment within natural reserves in which the law prohibits extract minerals. This illegal practice is widespread in the area, and also finances organized crime, proving to be a plague for the ecosystem. Chimet and Marsam deny the allegations, but the authorities are investigating their practices. The newspaper that opened the investigation reached Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Apple for a comment, but only the latter responded by saying that it no longer buys gold from Marsam, without however making any reference to Chimet. Apple adds that it is attentive to the environmental impact of its production chain at all stages.
Source-www.adnkronos.com