The Congo Goes Viral – A Call for the Electronics Industry to Take a Leadership Role in Conflict Minerals

Within hours after Nicolas Kristoff wrote a New York Times editorial assailing the use of conflict minerals in modern consumer electronics, the article – and the video that it featured – went viral. Kristoff discussed the work of the Enough Project, a not for profit organization that has produced extensive research on Congo’s conflict minerals over the past few years. The video produced by Enough, has already reached 349,986 views since it was posted on June 25. Kristoff’s article was featured in the June 26^th Sunday edition, and by June 28^th, Steve Jobs commented in an e-mail to a concerned customer that “[u]ntil someone invents a way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, it’s a very difficult problem.”

The rapid response time of Steve Jobs and millions of American consumers regarding conflict fueled electronics is quite amazing and exemplifies just how much business-as-usual is being challenged by social media and conscious consumerism. From a legal and policy perspective, it also demonstrates how people are using collective action on a grassroots level, rather than relying on current Washington initiatives to solve issues of corporate accountability.

As a part of the financial reform package, the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009 (S. 891) was introduced on April 23, 2009, and is still awaiting approval of its Senate Committee and then a vote of the full House and Senate. The Act calls for research and strategy to “address the linkages that exist between human rights abuses, armed groups, and the mining of columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, wolframite, and gold in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” The bill proposes SEC reporting requirements and a plan of punitive measures “that could be taken against individuals or entities whose commercial activities are supporting illegal armed groups and human rights violations in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.”

While the bill is certainly a step in the right direction, it fails to address the underlying issues that electronic consumer electronic companies like Apple have been falling back on – that there is no way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, so companies must rely on the assurances of their suppliers. However, the Enough Project has addressed some of the major challenges relating to supply chain auditing. Crucial steps that should be taken include using technological advances to implement a system that places a FedEx-like tracking number on gold shipments from the mine of origin all the way to the shopping mall and creating greater collaboration among key players to create a tracing system. Most importantly, mine-of-origin declarations and supply chain audits should be verified by third-parties with the skill-set to properly monitor metals transactions, such as forensic accountants, or the U.S. Customs Department, which has supply chain specialist teams. The failures of the Kimberly self-reporting process should be lesson enough for Congress to include independent third party monitoring into all legislation concerning conflict minerals.

The Congolese conflict mineral campaign is symbolic of a larger societal shift – one that signifies skepticism in governmental ability to solve issues of social and environmental impact and one that is tired of corporate apathy and finger pointing.  Apple has a huge opportunity to make itself a leader by engaging with NGOs like the Enough Project to proactively innovate solutions around the sourcing of conflict minerals. Although pending legislation could be helpful in addressing some sourcing issues, companies should utilize tools like social media to leverage pre-existing relationships with suppliers and consumers to actually create their own solutions and accountability mechanisms.  As consumers, we are tired of the back-patting sustainability marketing and toothless voluntary efforts that corporations have passed off as being sufficient to confront the severity of issues like Congolese genocide. We are savvy to the fact that corporate social responsibility is not corporate social accountability. While there will always be critics of corporate action, the electronics industry has a chance to innovate solutions by collaborating with organizations to proactively create change.

Please read the Enough Project’s full report on the Congo’s conflict minerals at http://www.enoughproject.org/files/publications/DiggingInConflictMinerals.pdf