News Summary

• "Since 2009, Apple has directed the removal of 163 3TG smelters and refiners from its supply chain (a total of 9 tantalum, 50 tin, 19 tungsten, and 85 gold smelters and refiners)," continued the company's SEC filing.
• Apple has been asked to verify that it doesn't use "conflict minerals" in the iPhoneThe Democratic Republic of Congo has told Apple it believes the iPhone maker's supply chain is using materials linked to militia groups.
• "In 2021, we removed 12 smelters and refiners from our supply chain, including those that were not willing to participate in or complete a third party audit, or that did not otherwise meet our requirements for the responsible sourcing of minerals.
• "[Year] after year, Apple has sold technology made with minerals sourced from a region whose population is being devastated by grave violations of human rights," wrote lawyer Robert Amsterdam says on his blog.
• "The world's eyes are wide shut: Rwanda's production of key 3T minerals is near zero, and yet big tech companies say their minerals are sourced in Rwanda."
• But Amsterdam's blog claims that there are "numerous schemes" that are being used by unspecified groups "through the illegal trade in conflict materials sourced from the Congolese territory."