• Shit, didn't see that coming: Ford, GM and BMW linked to illegal logging and slave labour in Brazil
    24 replies, posted
[URL]http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/may/17/ford-gm-bmw-logging-brazil[/URL] [QUOTE][URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/ford"]Ford[/URL], GM and BMW are sourcing material from [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/brazil"]Brazil[/URL] that is driving illegal logging and slave labour, according to campaigners at [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/greenpeace"]Greenpeace[/URL]. Brazil is a major exporter of pig iron, a primary ingredient of steel and cast iron, that is produced using massive quantities of charcoal. Reports over the past decade from the Brazilian government, the[URL="http://www.ilo.org/sapfl/Informationresources/NonILOpublications/WCMS_144676/lang--en/index.htm"]International Labour Organisation[/URL] (ILO), and the [URL="http://www.dol.gov/ilab/programs/ocft/pdf/2010TVPRA.pdf"]US Department of Labour[/URL] have indicated that charcoal used by many pig iron suppliers in the Amazonian state of Pará was obtained through forced labour and illegal logging of protected and indigenous lands. A [URL="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/driving-destruction/"]new report by Greenpeace[/URL] uses customs data to link eight international companies to two major Brazilian exporters of pig iron, Viena Siderurgica do Maranhão (Viena) and Siderúrgica do Pará (Sidepar), that the green group says are linked through the supply chain to charcoal suppliers with histories of buying from illegal camps and concealing illicit behaviour. Ford, General Motors, BMW, Mercedes, Nissan are all linked through a Severstal steel mill in Columbus, Mississippi, that buys from Viena and Severstal, while John Deere and ThyssonKrupp are linked through foundries supplied by the Illinois-based National Material Trading, a metal broker that sources from Viena. Two other metal brokers, Environmental Materials Corporation in Pennsylvania and a division of Cargill in Minnesota were also said by Greenpeace to have imported pig iron from Viena. "By buying this steel, these well-known brands are helping to destroy the Amazon," said Greenpeace Brazil Amazon campaign director Paulo Adario in a statement. "President Dilma [Rousseff] must protect the Amazon and the people who depend on it by ending [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/deforestation"]deforestation[/URL], slavery and the invasion of indigenous lands." Greenpeace said it hopes to raise awareness of deforestation and slave labour in the Amazon as the world's leaders descend on Brazil next month for the [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/rio-20-earth-summit"]Rio+20 Earth summit[/URL]. Bloomberg broke a [URL="http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=a4j1VKZq34TM"]major story in 2006[/URL] on US car makers' supply chains being linked to slave charcoal camps, but Greenpeace claims that despite promises from high profile American and European companies such as BMW and General Motors (GM), many continue to buy directly or indirectly from illicit companies. Ford, GM and Nissan were all named in the original Bloomberg story. In response to the report, GM stated it has a "zero tolerance" policy against employee abuse and corrupt business practices. A BMW spokesman said the company ensured suppliers "meet the same environmental and social standards we have set ourselves when they become our business partners" but ensuring sub-suppliers did so was a challenge. . Ford was the most forthcoming and indicated that it has been working with the ILO and Brazilian government, and has been training suppliers on labour codes since 2006 and sub-tier suppliers since 2011. Todd Nissen, of Ford Corporate Communications, said: "We are very familiar with the pig iron situation in Brazil. We were first made aware in 2006 that charcoal produced there with the use of slave labour was in our supply chain. We immediately stopped sourcing from the site identified in the 2006 investigation and took steps to work with our supply chain to safeguard human rights throughout their operations. Last year, we renewed our inquiry into the potential points of entry for Brazilian pig iron in our supply chain and are evaluating supplier progress to ensure responsible procurement of the material." The grittier details in the Greenpeace report linking Viena and Sidepar with the charcoal suppliers and their alleged illicit activities are cited as confidential to protect the report's sources. Activists battling illegal logging in the Amazon [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/24/amazon-rainforest-activist-killed"]are frequently targeted for their actions[/URL]. The Brazilian charcoal industry has a [URL="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/sep/28/amazon-brazil-protect-trees"]well-documented[/URL] history of destructive environmental practices and human rights abuse. An ILO report indicates that in 2008, there were as many as 40,000 slave labourers in Brazil. About 1,200 were working in the charcoal industry, while 5,600 were working in the related industry of deforestation and forestry. The Brazilian government has attempted to tackle slave labour in the charcoal industry by establishing the Citizen's Charcoal Institute (ICC) in 2004 to monitor the industry. Greenpeace claims there are no consequences for noncompliance, rendering the ICC moot, though the organisation has [URL="http://human-rights.unglobalcompact.org/case_studies/forced-labour/forced_labour/combating_slave_labour_in_the_brazilian_charcoal_and_steel_sector.html"]helped to rehabilitate[/URL] at least 161 former slaves. [/QUOTE]
That's quite a stretch to ruin GM and Ford's reputation with such an indirect connection to the actual slave labor. There aren't many more places to get pig iron for steel in such a vast quantity, and pretty much everywhere you're going to get it for a reasonable price is going to somehow involve illegal practices. I mean, they already tried to rectify the problem in 2006, but they're still a struggling business and they have to make a profit.
What the fuck.
This is so minutely linked. If the car needed one screw made by a company who did business dealings with another company who contracted independent workers who worked in the drug cartel they'd be up in arms and blaming GM.
Volkswagen was started by Hitler but I don't hear Israel getting mad about them still doing their thing.
tons of corporations have been accused of doing this
BMW has gone to shit lately anyhow. Half their cars are made in Mexico or America and they still claim German quality as well as keeping the price raised. Some of the more economical ones are actually safer and better made as they aren't made in the US or Mexico. Go Volkswagon if you want German, and Mercedes or Porsche if you want German and have money.
"according to campaigners at [b]Greenpeace.[/b]" And that's where I stopped caring.
[QUOTE=Groat;36000311]BMW has gone to shit lately anyhow. Half their cars are made in Mexico or America and they still claim German quality as well as keeping the price raised. Some of the more economical ones are actually safer and better made as they aren't made in the US or Mexico. Go Volkswagon if you want German, and Mercedes or Porsche if you want German and have money.[/QUOTE] I don't know what you're talking about. BMW is on top of its game right now. Only the X5 and X6 are made in the US, and I never liked those cars to begin with. Their new line is really something amazing. I'm absolutely in love with the F10 M5. I've never liked Volkswagon either. Nothing against them, they just don't float my boat. Mercedes is for a luxury car, not a driving machine. Porsche's are for dentists who want a more powerful VW bug.
[QUOTE=dbk21894;36000372]Porsche's are for dentists who want a more powerful VW bug.[/QUOTE] My dentist drives a Panamera 4S. [editline]18th May 2012[/editline] Shit, this isn't AA.
I hiiiighly doubt that anyone in Munich or Detroit went "Ok, let's use raw materials sourced from illegal mining and logging operations fueled with slave labor!". Most likely, they went "Ok, look. This pig iron and wood for trim is fucking expensive. Let's just scroll through this here list of suppliers....Aha, this Brazilian outfit can give us the best price for quality mats, let's set up a contract!" Sigh. The media needs to stop doing this sort of shit.
[QUOTE=TestECull;36001026]I hiiiighly doubt that anyone in Munich or Detroit went "Ok, let's use raw materials sourced from illegal mining and logging operations fueled with slave labor!". Most likely, they went "Ok, look. This pig iron and wood for trim is fucking expensive. Let's just scroll through this here list of suppliers....Aha, this Brazilian outfit can give us the best price for quality mats, let's set up a contract!" Sigh. The media needs to stop doing this sort of shit.[/QUOTE] Maybe their intention is to stir up dissent with the game, not the players. It wouldn't matter how it's arrived at or who did it (which is just moralism, doesn't always hold up well), but how such things are conducive to capitalism.
[QUOTE=dbk21894;36000372]I don't know what you're talking about. BMW is on top of its game right now. Only the X5 and X6 are made in the US, and I never liked those cars to begin with. Their new line is really something amazing. I'm absolutely in love with the F10 M5. I've never liked Volkswagon either. Nothing against them, they just don't float my boat. Mercedes is for a luxury car, not a driving machine. Porsche's are for dentists who want a more powerful VW bug.[/QUOTE] Couldn't agree more with the second paragraph. Disagree about BMW - their cars are uglier and more cheaply made than they've ever been. BMW used to be a by-word for absolute quality, but nowadays you find better plastics in a Ford Mondeo than in a 3-Series. Due to huge increase in demand for their cars over the last decade or so they've had to dramatically increase production by opening more factories in China and Mexico, and quality has suffered as a result. Anyway, on topic - TestECull has it right.
My e36 BMW chuckles at the sight of these new fan-dangled cars made in Mexico.
[QUOTE=dbk21894;36000372]I don't know what you're talking about. BMW is on top of its game right now. Only the X5 and X6 are made in the US, and I never liked those cars to begin with. Their new line is really something amazing. I'm absolutely in love with the F10 M5. I've never liked Volkswagon either. Nothing against them, they just don't float my boat. Mercedes is for a luxury car, not a driving machine. Porsche's are for dentists who want a more powerful VW bug.[/QUOTE] My Jetta can keep pace with my Stepdad's BMW, and didn't cost me an exorbitant amount of money, and the '07, '08 Jettas are hands down the best designed cars I have ever seen with the exception of the lights not turning off automatically.
[QUOTE=Groat;36016310]My Jetta can keep pace with my Stepdad's BMW, and didn't cost me an exorbitant amount of money, and the '07, '08 Jettas are hands down the best designed cars I have ever seen with the exception of the lights not turning off automatically.[/QUOTE] I'd have sex with my '04 Passat if I could.
BMW also made the gas chambers used during the Holocaust.
[QUOTE=Conscript;36001105]Maybe their intention is to stir up dissent with the game, not the players. It wouldn't matter how it's arrived at or who did it (which is just moralism, doesn't always hold up well), but how such things are conducive to capitalism.[/QUOTE] And here comes Conscript with his communist rhetoric.
[QUOTE=DaCommie1;36000345]"according to campaigners at [b]Greenpeace.[/b]" And that's where I stopped caring.[/QUOTE] Yeah, sorry you guys. We can't really control that extremist part of Canada all that well.
[QUOTE=ratman_122;36000223]Volkswagen was started by Hitler but I don't hear Israel getting mad about them still doing their thing.[/QUOTE] Actually volkswagen is popular in Israel,so popular my mom got her golf stolen.
[QUOTE=TestECull;36001026]I hiiiighly doubt that anyone in Munich or Detroit went "Ok, let's use raw materials sourced from illegal mining and logging operations fueled with slave labor!". Most likely, they went "Ok, look. This pig iron and wood for trim is fucking expensive. Let's just scroll through this here list of suppliers....Aha, this Brazilian outfit can give us the best price for quality mats, let's set up a contract!" Sigh. The media needs to stop doing this sort of shit.[/QUOTE] So I guess then all these sweatshops and other shit workplaces overseas they are completely unaware of? I'm sorry, but I don't think it is that easy for them to wash their hands of. Even the article points out that Bloomberg had a piece on this very issue in 2006 and it appears that despite promises to the contrary they are still providing the drive for this kind of industry to thrive. Brings back the general problem of many of our consumer products made in similar conditions, everything from electronics (including mine) to plastics. If not that then driving the demand, like with rare earth mineral mines in the west of the Congo right now. [QUOTE=Zambies!;36017867]And here comes Conscript with his communist rhetoric.[/QUOTE] It's 'communist' now to point out these abuses now? I don't follow the logic there.
[QUOTE=Nikota;36017004]I'd have sex with my '04 Passat if I could.[/QUOTE] [img]http://www.alfredchow.com/dump/caractere3.jpg[/img] you can
I was about to add that rolls royce is linked to illegal logging. then I remembered who owns them....
i got a 99 passat, for its year its nothing short of beautiful
Mercedes is opening up production in the US for their next model year, glad my dad got his when he did, still made in Deutschland. Also, I guess this means the wood trim on the dash of my '95 Mercury Grand Marquis was cut by a small Brazilian child.
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