The local Brazilian newspaper Repórter Brasil reports — as noted by 9to5Mac — that Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have been buying gold illegally mined in Brazil for their products.
The article says that these companies bought gold from the Chimet and Marsam refineries between 2020 and 2021. The report stated that Chimet and Marsam had mined gold from Brazilian indigenous lands, where it’s illegal since that depletes the Amazon rainforest. These two refineries are already under investigation by the Brazilian Federal Police for illegal extraction of natural resources and charges related to environmental damage.
Repórter Brasil says it asked Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon for a comment. Only Apple responded to the request with a statement in which the company claims it no longer buys gold from Marsam – however, nothing was mentioned about Chimet.
