How well do you know your supply chain? In fact, how much do you care? Hopefully it’s a lot, because it matters. Just look at Apple, who’s recently come under fire for its lacklustre approach to the ‘blood minerals’ used as key components for its iPhone.

Apple’s not the only company in the firing line. After all, minerals like tantalum are key ingredients for many electronic devices. The problem is, when a company is unaware where its supplies and materials come from, it ‘s also unaware of the environmental and ethical impact it’s inadvertently having around the world. Remember, a supply chain’s only as strong as its weakest link.

Just as it’s important for companies, like Apple, to know where its materials come from, it’s essential for you to know where your office supplies come from.

Why office supplies? Not every business uses minerals, but virtually every company uses them, whether it’s a pen, some paper or a dozen printers. It all adds up. And you can have the best environmental policy in the world, but if you’re ordering in hundreds of pens made using child labour or toxic pollutants, all that hard work doing the right thing will be reversed.

That’s why we at The Green Desk work hard to find green, ethically produced products manufactured in the UK and Western Europe. We get to know our manufacturers and supplies so we can understand the full supply chain.

So next time you need a new pen or some folders for the office, just think – where’s it come from? If it’s from us, you can be sure it’s come from a good place.