Conflict Minerals: Apple Takes Initiative in Verifying Smelters for Approaching Conflict Minerals Reporting Deadline

Feb 11, 2015 | 3BL Media
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The world's second largest technology company, Apple, has acknowledged that the best way to ensure a conflict free supply chain is by having a process to verify the smelters in their supply chain as conflict-free. Last June, Apple, in a statement to Time Magazine, stated “’Rather than simply funneling its demand through a limited number of verified smelters or those that are not sourcing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,’ Apple wrote, ‘Apple believes the best way to impact human rights abuses on the ground in the DRC is to have a critical mass of smelters verified as conflict-free, so that demand from other questionable sources is reduced.’” Instead of completely removing their sourcing from the covered countries, Apple has a plan to identity which smelters in their supply chain are sourced by conflict.

Tungsten, tin, tantalum, and gold, or more commonly known as “3TG,” are heavily used in the manufacturing of many consumer electronics. Not only Apple, but also many other technology giants such as Intel and Google, have taken the initiative to manufacture conflict-free products, and to trace the sourcing of the components in their products. In a recent article by Lynnley Browning from Newsweek, “Where Apple Gets the Tantalum for Your iPhone,” Browning does an excellent job reporting Apple’s transparency with conflict minerals: “So a year ago, Apple made a bold claim: It had audited smelters in its supply chain and none of them used tantalum from war-torn regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).” Although this is only one of 3TGs, this claim has empowered human rights advocacies for increased transparency from international companies.

The world's second largest technology company, Apple, has acknowledged that the best way to ensure a conflict free supply chain is by having a process to verify the smelters in their supply chain as conflict-free. Last June, Apple, in a statement to Time Magazine, stated “’Rather than simply funneling its demand through a limited number of verified smelters or those that are not sourcing in the Democratic Republic of the Congo,’ Apple wrote, ‘Apple believes the best way to impact human rights abuses on the ground in the DRC is to have a critical mass of smelters verified as conflict-free, so that demand from other questionable sources is reduced.’” Instead of completely removing their sourcing from the covered countries, Apple has a plan to identity which smelters in their supply chain are sourced by conflict.

Tungsten, tin, tantalum, and gold, or more commonly known as “3TG,” are heavily used in the manufacturing of many consumer electronics. Not only Apple, but also many other technology giants such as Intel and Google, have taken the initiative to manufacture conflict-free products, and to trace the sourcing of the components in their products. In a recent article by Lynnley Browning from Newsweek, “Where Apple Gets the Tantalum for Your iPhone,” Browning does an excellent job reporting Apple’s transparency with conflict minerals: “So a year ago, Apple made a bold claim: It had audited smelters in its supply chain and none of them used tantalum from war-torn regions in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).” Although this is only one of 3TGs, this claim has empowered human rights advocacies for increased transparency from international companies.