EU Parliament Approves Regulation on Conflict Minerals

The EU Parliament has approved a proposed regulation on conflict minerals. At the end of last year, representatives of the EU Commission, the European Parliament, and the Council of Ministers had already agreed on the regulation. The regulation mandates that companies using conflict minerals such as tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold, check their suppliers. This approach should hinder the use of sales revenue to purchase weapons and fuel conflicts.

The regulation does not affect EU importers of small quantities of metal, such as dentists and jewelers.

A similar regulation applies to companies listed on U.S. stock exchanges. As of 2010, they must comply with the Dodd-Frank Act and check suppliers and intermediary suppliers for proper material compliance. However, the Dodd-Frank Act applies only to raw materials from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and its neighboring states. The EU regulation includes conflict areas around the world.

If you have any questions about RoHS, REACH, conflict minerals, or material compliance, please contact us at reach@kft.de.