U.S. Passes Law Demanding Declaration of Conflict Mineral Use
In our July 6 issue of the magazine, there was an article written about conflict minerals being mined in the Congo being used to fund the civil war that has torn the region apart. Now, a United States law has passed that requires the companies who use those minerals–normally tech companies that produce smart phones and complex electronics–to declare whether or not their products contain any minerals mined from conflict regions.
The minerals–gold, tungsten, tantalum, and tin–can still be used by the companies, but the law requires that they disclose the original location where those minerals were mined so that consumers know what is in the goods that they’re buying and the companies can be held accountable.
The good news is that various large tech companies are already on board. Executive Vice President and General Counsel of HP is pleased that there will be greater transparency throughout the industry regarding business practices and the overall supply chain, and that this effort will hopefully reduce funding for the groups responsible for civil war in the Congo. Apple CEO Steve Jobs asserted that the company already has a policy of requiring their suppliers to certify that they do not use conflict minerals.
Other countries may be joining the United States as well. There are already groups in the United Kingdom who have been fighting for such a law to pass for some time. One group, Global Witness, is actually suing the British government for not recommending to the UN that local businesses who deal in conflict minerals be given official sanctions.
Overall, this movement is incredibly positive. We are beginning to recognize that the things we take for granted, like the small circuitry in our phones, could really mean life or death for people half way around the world. By holding companies to a higher standard and demanding transparency we are actively trying to cut off funding for an atrocious civil war.
The real problem arises when you begin talking about regulation, though. Who will be responsible, and how easy is it to side step them? Conflict diamonds have been scorned by the public for years, but they are smuggled and change hands so quickly. They are then combined with other diamonds so often that it is nearly impossible to know how many are actually being sold and if international measures have affected their sale or just forced operations to go deeper underground. This new law involving conflict minerals is definitely a step in the right direction, but in order for it to have any impact, we’ll need to continue walking forward.
To read the original article, please go to http://www.fastcompany.com/node/1674382/print