Template:Coltan sep-07

From Lauraibm

Full article: The greening of telecommunications (Aug-07)

The telecommunications industry has largely considered itself a good citizen when it comes to the environment and, in comparison to many others, it is. But it cannot rest on its laurels. An old perennial is the vast amount of paper used to produce telephone directories each year. Why do we persist in doing this? Online is best when it comes to directories. One issue that generates a great deal of emotion from time to time, is the mining and use of coltan (columbite-tantalite) ore. Coltan is a key component of mobile phones and IT equipment. Australia is a major source, where the ore is just one of many. It's a toxic substance that should be carefully recycled - and isn't when we throw out our old phones and computers. But coltan is also the 'blood diamond' issue for the industry. In the Congo, the mining of coltan has funded and prolonged a civil war in the east of the country. It has spawned a global movement under the banner of 'No blood on my cell phone!'.

Telecommunications purists will say this is an IT and consumer-electronics issue. But the telecommunications industry has benefited mightily from the popularity of mobile phones. Mobility has transformed the industry. It must respond with comprehensive recycling programmes and environmentally credible processes for reclaiming valuable and toxic components.

BT in the UK recently announced a renewed set of initiatives to improve its environmental credentials. Well done BT we say. We look for more in the industry to follow this lead.