Only Transparency Can Prevent Conflict Minerals from Harming People and Wildlife

Apr 18, 2017 | John Calvelli
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There is beauty in the biodiverse wildlife that calls DRC home, including chimpanzees, okapi, and the critically endangered Grauer’s gorilla. And there is beauty in the precious metals lying just beneath the surface, in the form of minerals such as tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold. Beyond the human costs, illegal mines are also causing drastic damage to DRC’s wildlife. Wildlife rangers trying to protect these natural resources face extreme danger as armed militias and insurgent groups inside national parks occupy vast swaths of wildlife habitat in order to illegally control and exploit access to minerals. And the wildlife nearby the conflict mineral sites, particularly great apes, are targeted and trafficked for bushmeat to feed the miners.

On the consumer end, the best way to shut down the flow of minerals coming from illegal mines is to shine the light of transparency. The U.S. Congress, as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, had the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a rule requiring transparency in the supply chain for minerals including tin, tungsten, tantalum (known as the 3Ts), and gold, so that companies and consumers know they are not contributing to illegal activities. And since the rule was issued in 2012, there has been improvement. However, in a decision last week, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued statements indicating that it will not enforce key parts of the Conflict Mineral Rule, effectively rolling back requirements that are essential to transparency.