Conflict Minerals

Conflict minerals are defined as any mineral determined by the Secretary of State to be financing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries. The four minerals that are categorized as conflict minerals include Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten and Gold. These four minerals are also commonly referred as “3TG”.

In order to promote peace and security in and around the DRC, the United States introduced conflict minerals legislation as part of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act in 2010. The focus of the conflict minerals legislation is to restrict the flow of minerals from the DRC and its eight surrounding countries to make mining unattractive for militant groups.

Even if your organization isn’t publicly traded, you may be required to provide conflict minerals information for your current customers who are publicly traded. Additionally, compliance information may be needed for potential future customers who are publicly traded. A proactive approach can position you favorably against your competition.
 

What can you do?

• Review and refresh a conflict minerals policy if needed
• Update systems to better collect data
• Prepare to move away from company level declaration to product level declaration
• Move from a reactive project to a proactive process to influence the supply chain
• Incorporate conflict mineral compliance into onboarding procedures for new suppliers
• Introduce supplier outreach programs and hold training for suppliers
• Update contract and purchase order language

 

How can IEWC help?

• We have validated the conflict minerals status of 90% of the materials that we buy from our suppliers
• You can access these records simply by contacting IEWC

 

Learn More

• Visit IEWC's Conflict Minerals FAQ Section for the answers to many commonly asked questions.
• Learn more about conflict minerals by contacting IEWC at [email protected] or through your local sales representative