In August 2012, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) issued final rules to implement Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010. The new rules require manufacturers that are subject to SEC reporting requirements to provide disclosures regarding their use of “conflict minerals.” Conflict minerals are defined as tantalum (derived from columbite-tantalite), tin (derived from cassiterite), tungsten (derived from wolframite), and gold, regardless of where the minerals are sourced, processed, or sold. These requirements aim to advance the humanitarian goal of ending violent conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (“DRC”) and neighboring countries.
We support this goal and are committed to sourcing materials from companies that share our values regarding respect for human rights, integrity, and environmental responsibility. We are committed to complying with the requirements of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act. To this end, our suppliers are required to provide materials that are “DRC conflict-free” and must comply with the above regulations, regardless of whether they are directly subject to SEC disclosure requirements. Each affected supplier must complete the EICC-GeSI public Conflict Minerals Reporting Template, demonstrating its commitment to sourcing conflict-free minerals and to using only conflict-free smelters.
