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The Apple logo is seen at an Apple Store on April 24, 2012 in San Francisco, California. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
A report released Thursday from an advocacy group said that Intel, Apple Inc., Motorola, Inc., and Hewlett-Packard Co. “are making progress in eliminating conflict minerals, from their supply chains,” namely from the Democratic Republic of the Congo—where several wars have been fought over the precious resources.
It has been said that the conflict minerals, which are used in a wide range of consumer electronics, have fueled one of the worst series of wars in history in central Africa, killing more than 5 million people since 1998.
The four previously mentioned companies “have moved forward to develop solutions” and have “developed conflict minerals programs that have paved the way for other companies to follow,” the Enough Project advocacy group said.
“Several other companies—SanDisk, Philips, Sony, Panasonic, RIM, and AMD, in particular—have significantly improved their efforts by surveying their suppliers, piloting due diligence, and joining the smelter audit program,” it added.
But Nintendo, it said, has not made any attempts to audit its supply chain despite growing public awareness and a shift in the industry, the group said.
Armed groups have used profits from illegal mining to purchase more weapons that have been used in attacks on civilians.
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