Recent developments relating to the sourcing of confl ict-free minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo
The purpose of the present report is to provide an overview of recent developments relating to the Congolese conflict mineral issue at different levels. The focus is on initiatives aiming to improve human rights and due diligence practices. Towards this end, a questionnaire was sent to 31 electronics companies whose products contain 3T minerals. 13 of them ultimately submitted a response. Based on these responses, it can be stated that a number of companies have taken active measures towards conflict-free supply of minerals from the DRC. While this, and recent legislative reforms in key jurisdictions, is an encouraging signal, a lot of considerable obstacles still remain. The fact that 18 companies decided not to contribute to this report, despite numerous reminders and requests, does not send a very encouraging signal of their commitment to responsible supply chain management.
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