FAQs for media

What makes you stand out?

Our focus on transparency; we’re honest about the fact that at the moment our supply chain for computer mice is only 2/3 fair. There are not many projects like ours in the electronics sector. We want to bring about a revolution in the sector and one of our key aims is to put pressure on IT companies to improve labour force working conditions in their supply chains. Before we appeared these companies would say, ‘oh we would like to be better but it’s just so difficult’ but Nager IT proves that it’s possible. We work to improve the supply chain from both ends finding a recycled metal producer, for example, and working backwards to get companies to use this in their components but also asking the components manufacturer to seek out companies that observe safer and fairer working conditions for workers.

Why do you care

It is a burden how unfair our globalised world is. In the West we profit from the hard work of those in developing countries, who experience hardship and reap disproportionately low benefits. You could choose not to have a computer or mobile but I want to participate in society, in the economy, so it means I have to be part of this injustice.

Have you changed your point of view since your foundation?

When Nager IT was founded in 2009, there was a certain awareness of global inequities. However, non of us had a realistic idea how complex supply chains are. We have learned a great deal since then. There have been times of frustration and times when we’ve become really tired. But we have started something that we want to finish. Maybe we will hand over to someone else one day, when we have found a clear way forward for the mouse to be more than 99% fair.

What do you like most about your job?

It is good to do something. It is one thing to read about and comment unfair working conditions in the sector and criticise well known companies for not doing anything to change the situation. however, with our project, we acutally change the situation in the global supply chain.

What are the next plans?

We want to make fair IT normal; we want to see other companies make other fair products like earphones or speakers. Another goal is finding a way forward with Chinese companies in particular. The big challenge is to find a way to get a common understanding of what is ‘fair’ in the context of Chinese factories. We have to be careful that we do not focus only on our European ideas.