Electronics Companies and Conflict Minerals

The conditions, and sometimes conflicts, that many are forced to undergo while mining valuable minerals, such as tantalum, have been dire for quite some time. Interestingly, this video has received over 200 million hits and is seemingly drawing a lot of attention to the issue. So much so in fact that it seems Steve Jobs, mr. gadget himself, has responded personally to the issue via an email exchange with a concerned customer as Wired reports.

... We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict few [sic] materials. But honestly there is no way for them to be sure. Until someone invents a way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, it’s a very difficult problem.

Sent from my iPhone

Now the folks over at RaiseHopeforCongo.org are praising Steve Jobs for responding personally about this very serious issue. As they put it, "ultimately it will be decisions by him and other industry leaders that will give customers the choice to go conflict free." RaiseHopeforCongo.org didn't stop there though, they also took the time to write Steve Jobs an email themselves:

Thanks, Steve. You have always blazed a path where others thought it impossible.

Tracing minerals isn’t easy, but it can be done. The chokepoint is at the smelter, where the raw mineral ores are processed into metals. Tin and tantalum firms that supply electronics companies have started tracing programs in the past six months, and certain electronics companies are beginning to audit this process.

But to guarantee to consumers that iPads, iPods and iPhones are verifiably conflict-free, we need more resources and commitment from industry leaders like you. We have a roadmap to accomplish this, through tracing, auditing, and certification. Would you like to meet and talk further?

Of course it was "Sent from my iPhone".

We'll see what they do from now.