2024-04-25 12:25:40
A Democratic Republic of Congo accused the Apple this week of using minerals illegally extracted from its territory in production chains, which includes the production of devices such as the iPhone.
Represented by a group of international lawyers based in the cities of Amsterdam (Netherlands) and Paris (France), the African nation said it believes that the Cupertino giant is being used tin, tungsten e tantalum (known as 3T materials) from the eastern region of its territory, which has been suffering for years from illegal resource extraction.
Many of these activities, as recalled by a report published by Amsterdam & Partners LLP — one of the law firms responsible for representing Congo — are commanded by militias and terrorist groups, which are known for employing child labor, devastating the environment in search of these resources and violently oppressing local populations.
Although Apple has stated that it verifies the origins of the minerals it uses to make its products, these claims do not appear to be based on concrete, verifiable evidence. The world’s eyes are wide closed: production of essential 3T minerals in Rwanda is close to zero, and yet big technology companies say their minerals come from Rwanda.
The lawyers sent a series of questions to the CEO 1 Chief executive officeror executive director. from Apple, Tim Cook, and to a subsidiary of the company France, seeking to obtain clearer answers regarding the origin of the materials found in their devices. It is not yet clear exactly what questions were raised, but they gave the American company three weeks to provide a response.
Maçã, it is worth noting, has already addressed this issue in previously released environmental reports. In early 2022, for example, it said it terminated contracts with 12 smelters and refineries due to concerns regarding mining in areas of armed conflict, including in Congo. According to her, these former partners presented irregularities or simply refused to undergo an audit.
On the same occasion, the company explained that its Supplier Code of Conduct “requires suppliers, smelters, refiners and recyclers in our supply chain to identify and assess a wide range of risks, in addition to conflict, including social, environmental and human rights”.
In your most recent “conflict minerals” report [PDF]as these illegally mined resources are called, Apple said that, as of December 31, 2023, none of its partner smelters and refineries have links to armed groups in Congo.
via Bloomberg
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