What step will be most effective for a manufacturer that wants to reduce the human costs of extracting the minerals it uses in its smartphones?

Question

What step will be most effective for a manufacturer that wants to reduce the human costs of extracting the minerals it uses in its smartphones?

committing to only mining minerals in the United States
switching to using gold instead of tungsten in its products
verifying that child labor was not used in mining these minerals
decreasing the prices of its products

Answer 1

The most effective step for a manufacturer that wants to reduce the human costs of extracting the minerals it uses in its smartphones would be to verify that child labor was not used in mining these minerals. This would ensure that the company is not contributing to the exploitation of children in countries where there are no laws protecting them from hazardous work environments. In addition to being the right thing to do, it would also enhance the manufacturer's reputation and appeal to socially conscious consumers. While committing to only mining minerals in the United States or switching to using gold instead of tungsten may reduce human costs, these options may not be practical or feasible for the manufacturer. Decreasing the prices of its products would not directly address the issue of human costs associated with mining minerals.