As world leaders act to secure access to these minerals, companies come under pressure to follow due diligence guidelines to promote ethical sourcing of these materials for their supply chains. Regulations such as the US Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Section 1502), EU Regulation 2017/821 and the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive require companies to trace materials through their supply chains and report to the public about their use of conflict minerals.
Several industry associations, including the Responsible Business Alliance’s Responsible Minerals Initiative, were created to help companies with their due diligence efforts. Reports such as those issued by the US Government Accountability Office on Conflict Minerals offer insights into the efficacy of these regulations and suggest improved approaches for industry engagement.
The SEMI Responsible Supply Chain (RSC) working group was recently formed to host discussions on these topics. This webinar has provided insights from speakers Jennifer Peyser, Responsible Business Alliance Senior Vice President of Responsible Sourcing, and Kimberly Gianopoulos, Managing Director for the International Affairs and Trade team at the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).
Presentation Slides
Critical Minerals, Due Diligence and the Semiconductor Supply Chain
Resources:
- OECD Responsible Minerals Supply Chain information: https://www.oecd.org/en/topics/sub-issues/due-diligence-guidance-for-responsible-business-conduct/responsible-mineral-supply-chains.html
- U.N. Group of Experts on the DRC semi-annual reports: https://main.un.org/securitycouncil/en/sanctions/1533/panel-of-experts/expert-reports
- International Peace Information Services (IPIS): https://ipisresearch.be/
- International Crisis Group: https://www.crisisgroup.org/
- Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade: https://www.resolve.ngo/public-private-alliance-for-responsible-minerals-trade
- Global Witness: https://globalwitness.org/en/
- IMPACT: https://impacttransform.org/en/
- Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED): https://acleddata.com/