Apple tells us why conflict minerals criminal claims don’t hold up
Apple has refuted claims made by the Democratic Republic of Congo concerning its use of conflict minerals, pointing out that not only does it make increasing use of recycled materials of the type found in the DRC region, but that it instructed suppliers to seize sourcing from the region earlier this year.
Criminal case
The DRC government had filed criminal charges in Belgium and France alleging that Apple has been knowingly financing the trade in conflict minerals by not preventing elements mined coercively from entering its supply chain. Conflict minerals are rare substances, such as tin, tantalum, and tungsten, which are found in large quantities in the war-torn region.
Apple has made attempts to constrain this trade, including the removal of smelters and suppliers found to be sourcing materials in this way from its supply chain.
“We work with third-party audit programs at an industry-wide level to identify environmental and social, and governance risks at the smelter, refiner, and mining levels,” the company has said.
No case to answer
In a statement filed subsequent to the criminal case, Apple now points out that not only is it making increasing use of recycled materials, but it has also instructed suppliers to seize sourcing from the region. Speaking to Reuters, it said it has told suppliers that they must stop buying tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from the DRC and neighbouring Rwanda as conflict in the region has escalated.
“We took this action because we were concerned it was no longer possible for independent auditors or industry certification mechanisms to perform the due diligence required to meet our high standards,” the company said.
Apple also said that the vast amount of the minerals in question used across its hardware come from recycled sources. The company says it is on course to see all the cobalt, tin solder, gold, and tungsten come from recycling by 2025.
DRC lawyers however say Apple’s claims must be independently verified, warning that they do not change the past, though Apple may be able to point to copious evidence points to show that it has been trying to challenge use of conflict minerals for some time.
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