Tracing the Tantalum Trade-Part Two

Companies like Apple and Hewlett Packard say they are taking measures to insure conflict minerals don’t end up in their products. But is the work of identifying conflict minerals in the supply chain as difficult has they say?

The report details a “Supplier Code of Conduct” to which companies are required to adhere as a condition of their contract. The Code deals with such issues as labour, human rights and ethical standards. Compliance is managed “through a rigorous monitoring program” of “factory audits, corrective action plans, and verification measures.”