Policy - Supply Chain Responsibility
Supply Chain Responsibility
The tech sector’s ongoing commitment to sustainability extends beyond our products to encompass our global sourcing practices and supply chains. Our companies have been the unquestioned drivers on regulatory efforts and public-private initiatives to combat the use of conflict minerals in industrial manufacturing.
Our sector recognizes the serious social and environmental implications of illegal mining and mineral trading. Any mining activities that fuel conflict are unacceptable, and the tech sector will continue to work with the international community to drive transparency and responsible sourcing practices within global supply chains. While tech is only one of many major industries that rely on these metals, we continue to advance industry engagement and are working with all participants toward an effective solution. As part of this commitment, we are engaged in an ongoing and productive dialogue with leading NGOs.
Working through the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and the Global eSustainability Initiative (GeSI), the high-tech sector has pioneered the Conflict-Free Smelter Program to drive clean minerals sourcing across global supply chains. Several tech companies and suppliers have also partnered to launch the Solutions for Hope Project to source conflict-free tantalum from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and provide economic support and jobs.
Numerous tech sector companies support the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA), a joint initiative launched by the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, with participants from government, civil society, and the private sector. The high tech sector has also led industry engagement on the development of the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. Since 2012, ITI has been engaging with European Union officials to discuss how best to coordinate government, civil society, and private sector initiatives to address the root causes of conflicts that may be tied to minerals extraction.
Resources
-
ITI's Rick Goss Testimony on Conflict Minerals Before Senate Foreign Relations Committee Hearing (April 05, 2017)
Testimony delivered by Senior Vice President for Environment and Sustainability on April 5, 2017, before before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy ...
-
ITI Conflict Minerals Comments to Securities and Exchange Commission (March 20, 2017)
ITI comments to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on conflict minerals regulations sent March 10, 2017.
Techwonk Blog
-
Senate Committee Evaluates Progress and Challenges for Conflict Minerals (April 18, 2017)
On April 5, I had the privilege of testifying before a subcommittee of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee to detail the tech industry’s policies, commitments, and achievements in driving responsible ...
-
Lessons Learned from the ITI Sustainability Series (July 01, 2013)
Nearly 200 company representatives from several industry sectors participated in our first-ever ITI Sustainability Series – product policy and compliance seminars held in Round Rock, Tex., Santa Clara, ...
-
Bipartisan Leadership on Conflict Minerals (June 03, 2013)
Four U.S. Senators – two Democratic, two Republican – have joined in introducing a Senate resolution calling for stronger diplomatic engagement to bring peace to the war-torn Democratic Republic of the ...
-
Updating Congress on Conflict Minerals Reporting (May 22, 2013)
Earlier this afternoon, I testified before a congressional subcommittee on what policy insiders refer to as Dodd-Frank Section 1502. Translated, that’s a provision in the 2010 financial reform law that ...
News Releases
-
ITI Before Senate Hearing on Conflict Minerals: Tech Committed to Clean Sourcing (April 05, 2017)
WASHINGTON – Today, ITI, the global voice of the tech sector, released the following testimony delivered by Senior Vice President of Environment and Sustainability Rick Goss before a hearing of the Senate ...
-
ITI Comments on SEC Conflict Minerals Rules (March 20, 2017)
WASHINGTON – ITI, the global voice of the tech sector, today released comments the organization submitted in response to a request from the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on conflict minerals ...