The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative, aimed at combating trade in conflict minerals, last month welcomed a report of the US Department of Commerce on conflict minerals processing facilities, and looks forward to the Department of Commerce’s efforts to collaborate further with existing industry efforts on conflict minerals due diligence.
The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative’s list of validated conflict-free smelters and refiners of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) were referenced in the Department of Commerce’s report. The Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative also produces a list of known smelters and refiners of 3TG – including ones that have not been validated conflict free – and publishes them in its Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT).
That information, while not referenced in the Department of Commerce’s report, includes over 200 smelters and refiners. To determine which types of companies may be listed as known smelters and refiners, the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative adheres to a standard definition of “smelter” and “refiner,” which is defined in the CMRT.
Extraordinary Efforts
“For over five years, the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative has made extraordinary efforts to collect and verify information about smelters and refiners of 3TG. “We appreciate the efforts of the Department of Commerce to compile this information. Having experienced mapping our own supply chains, we look forward to additional collaboration with the Department of Commerce in order to bring the most information possible to companies seeking to make informed choices about conflict minerals in their supply chains,” says Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative programme director Michael Rohwer.