Hopefully Coming Soon – A “Conflict-Free” Supply Chain
The image above is from a photoessay by photographer Mark Craemer, about the harvesting of minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. You may find the images disquieting.
The Dodd-Frank Consumer Protection Act was signed into law by President Obama on July 21st, 2010. Most of it deals with things like bank and credit regulation and Wall Street reform. But there is also a provision (section 1502) that would require companies registered with the SEC to identify that their products are “conflict-free”.
Over 800 pages into the US Consumer Protection Act (the Act), signed into law by President Obama on 21 July 2010, section 1502 lays the foundations for US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registered companies being required to make “Disclosures relating to Conflict minerals originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo” (DRC) This will identify those products manufactured by a company that can be proved “DRC Conflict-Free” or otherwise.
A growing number of investigative reports over the past few years have linked the finances generated by the extraction of minerals in and around the DRC to the ongoing extreme conflicts between armed paramilitary organisations, particularly in the eastern regions of the country.
The Act defines the following minerals and their derivatives as “conflict minerals”:
Columbite-Tantalite/”Coltan” (the most common source of Tantalum)
Wolframite (the primary source of Tungsten),
Cassiterite (Tin ore),
Gold.
The Act leaves scope for the Secretary of State to amend the definition of ‘conflict mineral’ at a later date.
At the moment, it is very nearly impossible to determine the exact origin of the minerals used in electronic components. For electronics hobbyists, the most likely questionable component would be tantalum capacitors, which are popular due to their low leakage and high capacitive density (more microfarads per cubic millimeter). While it’s true that very few hobbyists are registered with the SEC and subject to the law stated above, I suspect we will all benefit from it.
Ultimately, hobbyists and big companies get their parts from the same component manufacturers. The big companies will be putting pressure on these manufacturers to start identifying their products as conflict-free (or not) so that they can know how to label their own products. In the end, the DIY folks also win, because they will get the same information.
Adafruit publishes a wide range of writing and video content, including interviews and reporting on the maker market and the wider technology world. Our standards page is intended as a guide to best practices that Adafruit uses, as well as an outline of the ethical standards Adafruit aspires to. While Adafruit is not an independent journalistic institution, Adafruit strives to be a fair, informative, and positive voice within the community – check it out here: adafruit.com/editorialstandards
Stop breadboarding and soldering – start making immediately! Adafruit’s Circuit Playground is jam-packed with LEDs, sensors, buttons, alligator clip pads and more. Build projects with Circuit Playground in a few minutes with the drag-and-drop MakeCode programming site, learn computer science using the CS Discoveries class on code.org, jump into CircuitPython to learn Python and hardware together, TinyGO, or even use the Arduino IDE. Circuit Playground Express is the newest and best Circuit Playground board, with support for CircuitPython, MakeCode, and Arduino. It has a powerful processor, 10 NeoPixels, mini speaker, InfraRed receive and transmit, two buttons, a switch, 14 alligator clip pads, and lots of sensors: capacitive touch, IR proximity, temperature, light, motion and sound. A whole wide world of electronics and coding is waiting for you, and it fits in the palm of your hand.
Have an amazing project to share? The Electronics Show and Tell is every Wednesday at 7:30pm ET! To join, head over to YouTube and check out the show’s live chat and our Discord!
Python for Microcontrollers – Adafruit Daily — Select Python on Microcontrollers Newsletter: PyCon AU 2024 Talks, New Raspberry Pi Gear Available and More! #CircuitPython #Python #micropython @ThePSF @Raspberry_Pi
EYE on NPI – Adafruit Daily — EYE on NPI Maxim’s Himalaya uSLIC Step-Down Power Module #EyeOnNPI @maximintegrated @digikey
i wonder if they should have included diamonds as well, ever heard of "blood diamonds". One question, don’t know if you guys know, but do companys have to explicity say that it "is not confict-free" or is it just they can say if it is conflict free, and if no mention of conflict free is mentioned then it is assumed that is not conflict free? that make any sense
The provision addresses ‘blood diamonds’ as well. Pretty much any ‘conflict mineral’ from that part of the world.
Presumably yes, if it’s not explicitly stated to be ‘conflict free’, then it is assumed to be otherwise. The law says that products sold by companies registered with the SEC must be certified ‘conflict free’, and that the companies must be able to prove it is so. In my opinion, this makes it a simple yes or no issue.
i wonder if they should have included diamonds as well, ever heard of "blood diamonds". One question, don’t know if you guys know, but do companys have to explicity say that it "is not confict-free" or is it just they can say if it is conflict free, and if no mention of conflict free is mentioned then it is assumed that is not conflict free? that make any sense
The provision addresses ‘blood diamonds’ as well. Pretty much any ‘conflict mineral’ from that part of the world.
Presumably yes, if it’s not explicitly stated to be ‘conflict free’, then it is assumed to be otherwise. The law says that products sold by companies registered with the SEC must be certified ‘conflict free’, and that the companies must be able to prove it is so. In my opinion, this makes it a simple yes or no issue.