Programs

Cash Investigation: The Real Price of your Mobile Phone

A mobile phone is sold every 57 seconds meaning that there are now more mobile phones on the planet than toothbrushes. We investigated the shameful secrets of the multinationals who produce our mobile phones. They are the big winners of the mobile revolution as their profits explode but what is the human and environmental cost in the production countries of China and the Congo?

We bring exclusive footage from inside Chinese factories where scores of children are working long hours under arduous conditions. The multinationals claim they are doing all they can, but these shocking images say otherwise. In Africa the mines that retrieve minerals essential to components in our smartphones are dangerous and unregulated. Injuries and deaths occur regularly amongst workers just desperate to support their families. Whilst in China the environmental damage has scarred the landscape, emptied a village and possibly caused severe illness among the population.

We confront the major names in the smartphone industry with the realities that they would like to keep hidden.

PRODUCTION INFO

  • Year: 2014
  • Duration: 52 mins
  • Production: Premières Lignes
  • Director: Martin Boudot
  • Available Versions: ENG, FRA
  • Country of production: France

VOD LINKS

FESTIVALS & AWARDS

  • Albert Londres Prize Finalist

Related Programs

Cash Investigation: Ghost Workers

We’re at the beginning of an artificial intelligence revolution that promises to change everything. But in order to run their applications, digital giants like Amazon, Google and Facebook, employ an army of invisible labour.

More info

Cash Investigation: Seeds of Profit

Sixty years of producing standardized fruit and vegetables and creating industrial hybrids have had a dramatic impact on their nutritional content. The seeds that produce the fruits and vegetables we consume are now the property of a handful of multinationals.

More info

Cash Investigation: The Cost of Cotton

Is cotton really as pure as it seems? After claims of forced labour, pollution, and even slavery, we follow the production chain to find the truth.

More info