Apple's Supply Chain May Contain 'Conflict Minerals' from Congo
TapTechNews May 23rd news, according to Reuters, the international legal team representing the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo recently stated that Apple's supply chain may contain 'conflict minerals' or 'blood minerals'. 'Conflict minerals' or 'blood minerals' refer to minerals from armed conflict areas, where armed groups often force labor to mine minerals and use the proceeds to buy weapons.
These minerals mainly include tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold, collectively known as 3TG. Apple itself does not directly purchase minerals, but downstream suppliers buy them and use them to manufacture components and finally sell them to Apple. However, Apple will commission audits to ensure that its supply chain does not have problem minerals from these conflict areas.
According to Reuters, the legal team has provided Apple with evidence of flaws in its audit procedures and raised a series of questions about related issues.
Congo (especially in the eastern region) has been plagued by violence since the 1990s, where various armed groups (some supported by neighboring Rwanda) fight over national identity, ethnicity and resources.
The Congolese legal team notified Apple CEO Tim Cook on April 22nd that there were a series of problems in its supply chain and sent a letter to Apple's French subsidiary, asking it to respond within three weeks. Law firm Amsterdam & Partners LLP has been investigating allegations that minerals mined by several Congolese companies and armed groups were smuggled out of the country through Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi.
They specifically mentioned that some auditors were punished with contract terminations after reporting evidence of 'blood minerals' in Apple's supply chain. The legal team said that so far Apple has not made any response. The law firm said in a statement on Wednesday, 'After four weeks, this tech giant remains silent, neither answering questions nor acknowledging the receipt of relevant documents.'