Conflict minerals 101

Recently a movie directed by a Danish film director Frank Piasecki Poulsen showed the seriousness of problems associated with the use of conflict minerals. Although not known to many, conflict minerals make their way to general electronics because of the highly untraceable nature of their mix-up with the conflict-free minerals. With its flashy trailers the movie made into headlines and stirred the debate whether the electronics giants like Nokia should be held responsible for this issue.

The movie however was criticized by some for specifically targeting Nokia which is no different from other manufacturers, but otherwise what it showed was a harsh truth. 

WHAT ARE CONFLICT MINERALS ?

Minerals that are extracted in the mines operated by conflict groups of DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo) are called “conflict minerals”. They are called so because these mines are real hells for the inhabitants of DRC. They are illegal and by no means observe any human right. The workers are paid a meager sum and are forcefully made to live underground for many days. When these mines collapse many of them are buried with them. It is often quoted that this place is least suitable for girls, as thousands of them have been raped in the past years. These conflict groups are anti-government agencies that own most of the mines in DRC by the might of firearms which out power the Congolese government. By selling minerals from these mines these notorious groups are now flourishing and are filling their arsenals with the money they are getting indirectly from electronic manufacturers.

These are mainly four minerals: coltan ( columbite tantelite)- for extracting Tantalum, Cassiterite- for extracting Tin, Wolfarmite- for extracting Tungsten and finally gold

Conflict Minerals

THE SUPPLY CHAIN:

So it can be concluded that though unaware, we may be funding these gangsters as many of these minerals find their use in mobile phones, tablets, laptops and other circuitries. But one cannot easily hold the companies responsible for their use because the complex nature of supply chain shows us that there is no direct connection between the manufacturers and the miners. Their are many middlemen involved in the chain.
Here's a link to find more about conflict minerals supply chain

TOTAL CONTRIBUTION TO THE WORLD SUPPLY

The portion of conflict minerals is not very significant because there are regions that produce conflict-free minerals which occupy a greater portion in the overall consumption like parts of Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. So, with an exception for Tantalum all other minerals do not occupy a significant proportion in the total world market. However it is often said that there are loopholes  in these statistics as minerals from Congo can also be marked as a product of other countries.  

LAW AGAINST THE USE OF CONFLICT MINERALS

The ill-use of power by the conflict groups calls for control measurements for checking even the slightest trade with these war lords. This in fact provoked the establishment of a law in July 2010 as a part of the U.S. government's Dodd- Frank Wall Street Reform Act. This requires companies to trace and audit their mineral supply chains. In August, 2012 securities and exchange commission has issued regulations  on how companies should report the source of minerals. This law was challenged by the companies by a lawsuit, nevertheless the law has been implemented.  

RESOURCE CURSE AND CAMPAIGNS

The mines which otherwise would have added to the income of Congo are suffering from tragedy which seems to be no way short lasting. The Great war of Africa or sometimes called the world war of Africa is the deadliest since world war two. NGOs like “Raise hope for Congo” are enduring their efforts for the betterment of these conditions. This issue of conflict minerals is much like the blood diamonds that is why the movie is aptly titled as “Blood in Mobile”.