March 14, 2014 – March 21, 2014
The summaries provided in this Weekly Recap do not necessarily represent the views of Squire Sanders (US) LLP and should not be deemed to be endorsements of them. The Recap is intended to be a compilation of articles and events to encourage discussion within the conflict minerals community and to keep our readers updated on the most recent developments.
Intel Director of Corporate Responsibility Interviewed About Company Culture in Regards to Conflict Minerals
Rahim Kanani, a contributor to Forbes online, in his article titled Why Intel Is Taking a Stand on Conflict Minerals, interviewed Gary Niekerk, Director of Corporate Responsibility at Intel Corporation, about Intel’s stance on conflict minerals and more.
Mr. Niekerk noted that Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, wanted to be the solution, rather than the problem, in regards to the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Niekerk stated, “There was never a discussion about impacts to materials costs or schedules, it was always just what can we do to fix it.”
One of the biggest challenges facing Niekerk was that there was no “established mechanisms or systems in place to track minerals from the mine of origin throughout the supply chain.” Intel worked with industry partners to establish a smelter validation system, which took several years.
UK Poll Reveals Majority of Manufacturers Have No Reporting Mechanism for Conflict Minerals
Achilles, a UK-based supply chain solution provider, released a poll which revealed that “fifty-one percent (51%) of [UK] manufacturers have no reporting mechanisms for issues such as…conflict minerals.”
A spokesperson for Achilles reacted to the poll, “This survey shows just how unsure large UK manufacturers actually are about the treatment of people within their supply chains.”
For more discussion surrounding the poll, see LogisticManager.com’s article titled Manufacturers in the Dark about Suppliers Ethics.
Just a Reminder: Source Intelligence to Release Conflict Minerals Benchmarking Report
Source Intelligence is promoting a presentation, which will discuss the preliminary results of its conflict minerals cross-industry benchmarking report.
The benchmarking report will include insights on:
- 2013 conflict minerals programs
- supplier profiles (by industry and region)
- challenges incurred in compliance
To sign up for the complimentary presentation and receive the report when its released, see Conflict Minerals Benchmarking Report.