Around the world, demonstrations were held outside Apple Stores, demanding the company stop sourcing cobalt and other so-called blood minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mining in the DRC is fueling one of the worst conflicts and humanitarian crises in the country’s history.
Some of the protestors are former and even current Apple employees.
Human rights groups say mines in the DRC are notorious for dangerous conditions and use child and slave labor.
Apple has said it does not source minerals from mines with these conditions but has had to remove some Congolese suppliers after whistleblowers provided evidence they are violating human rights.
Pop star Dua Lipa recently pressed Apple has CEO Tim Cook about the accusations, asking if he can guarantee that the cobalt in iPhones have not been mined using child labor in the DRC.
“Yes we can,” affirmed Cook. “We have an intense level of tracing in our supply chain all the way back to the mine and the smelter to make sure that the that the labor used is not child labor.”
The company is also under fire for its stance on Gaza.
But protestors aren’t just going after Apple - they also led movements to boycott Google and companies who make devices like e-cigarettes and vaporizers they say are being built with blood minerals.
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