* In 2010, the U . S . Dodd – Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was passed concerning ” conflict minerals “
originating from the Democratic Republic of the Congo ( DRC ) or adjoining countries . The SEC published final rules associated with
the disclosure of the source of conflict minerals by U . S . publicly traded companies ( see the rules at
http://www.sec.gov/rules/final/2012/34-67716.pdf). The rules reference the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible
Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict – Affected and High – Risk Areas ,
(http://www.oecd.org/daf/inv/mne/GuidanceEdition2.pdf), which guides suppliers to establish policies , due diligence
frameworks and management systems .
In 2017, Regulation ( EU )2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the European Council of 17 May 2017 was passed
concerning supply chain due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin , tantalum and tungsten , their ores , and gold
originating from conflict – affected and high – risk areas ( see regulation at https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-
content / EN / TXT / PDF /? uri = OJ : L :2017:130:FULL& from = EN )
** See information on the Responsible Minerals Initiative ( www . responsiblemineralsinitiative . org ).
