Mickey North Rizza, vice
president of strategic services
at BravoSolution
After a nearly two-year wait, the SEC finally confirmed the speculation this week: manufacturers are now required to disclose the use and sources of tin, gold, tantalum and tungsten -- otherwise known as conflict minerals.
These are crucial materials for the technology industry, powering our favorite gadgets such as smartphones, laptops and tablets. However, these mines are found in hotbeds for violence and corruption in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
While supply chain and compliance executives are still digesting the full ruling -- a 500+ page document -- manufacturers are busy trying to figure out what information they need from suppliers and how to revamp the sourcing process to comply with this reporting. It’s a tall task that encompasses risk management and requires much deeper visibility into the supply chain that most companies lack today. This is even more challenging for companies with vast product lines and multiple, multi-layered supply chains.
