Study Says Most US Companies Still Not Declaring Conflict Minerals

A study by Global Witness and Amnesty International has found that the majority of public companies in the US are still failing to properly disclose whether their products contain conflict minerals. Conflict minerals can be gold, tin, tungsten or tantalum sourced from conflict areas such as the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As quoted in the publication:

Almost 80% of the public companies analyzed failed to properly disclose whether their products contain gold, tin, tungsten and tantalum from conflict areas in Central Africa, the human rights groups said in a joint statement Wednesday. Trade of these metals, which are essential for electronic devices ranging from smartphones to laptops, is often linked to human- rights abuse and corruption in the war-torn Democratic Republic of Congo.

Apple Inc. and Boeing Co. are examples of thousands of companies required to certify with the US Securities and Exchange Commission that their products are free of so-called conflict minerals produced in the DRC or its nine neighboring countries. The SEC reporting rule, which was adopted in August 2012 as part of the 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, required companies to submit annual filings starting in May of last year.

Click here to read the full article.