Conflict Minerals Reports are Filed, But What Do They Say?

Aug 20, 2014 | GreenBiz
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Most filers in this initial disclosure year were unable to determine the origin of conflict minerals (tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold, known collectively as 3TG) in their products. They described their conflict minerals status as "undeterminable" or made no declaration. While some stakeholders were anxious to see what companies had to say, those participating in efforts to comply with the SEC's new conflict mineral rule know well the challenges of completing these first-year filings. The complexity of supply chains created challenges for most companies. And there is still a long way to go.

Ernst & Young's recent study of conflict minerals filings — which may help serve as an early guide to the 3TG disclosure landscape and help facilitate an assessment of how companies compare — found data about reporting across all SEC reporting companies.