The mining industry often suffers from negative perceptions. Besides contributing to social and environmental abuses, in some instances the minerals and metals found in your smartphone have been associated with financing conflict in the African Great Lakes region.
These four "conflict minerals" - tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold - gained international attention in 2010 with the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act. This law requires publicly traded companies in the US to report on the use of minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and surrounding countries in their products and show that they do not finance conflict. In the past month, this issue rose to the top of the agenda once again with the EU's announcement of an initial agreement on similar legislation which will require smelters and refiners to implement due diligence and report on the supply chain of conflict minerals imported into the EU.
Regulations like these are an important step forward. However, they can also lead to unintended consequences in the countries where these minerals are mined. For example, as a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, many electronics manufacturers stopped sourcing from the African Great Lakes region entirely - delivering another economic blow to local communities already devastated by conflict.
Responsible sourcing that supports conflict-affected communities
Today, many electronic manufacturers aim to source conflict-free materials, which already represents great progress. But conflict-free sourcing can also mean refusing to source from conflict or high-risk countries. At Fairphone, we believe that to create lasting change and make a significant impact in conflict-affected countries, the first step is to engage with these regions. So instead of running away from conflict zones, we're determined to source from these regions and stimulate the economy in the communities where it's needed most.
Since 2013, we have been working with programs such as the Conflict Free Tin Initiative (CFTI) and Solutions for Hope to source tin and tantalum from validated conflict-free mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. And at the beginning of this year, we integrated Fairtrade gold from Peru into our supply chain - a first for the electronics industry.
Tungsten joins Fairphone's lineup of conflict-free supply chains
After finding more responsible sources of tin, tantalum and gold, we turned our attention to tungsten, with the aim of sourcing directly from the Great Lakes region. Because tungsten can easily be sourced from regions that are not subject to the Dodd-Frank Act, the tungsten mines in the African Great Lakes Region saw a significant decline in international sourcing. We're proud to announce that as of this month, conflict-free tungsten from Rwanda will officially become part of the Fairphone supply chain. Based on the current production schedule, this source of tungsten will be present in the Fairphone 2's vibration motor starting from August.
The route of Tungsten
After leaving the mine, the tungsten concentrate travels to refining facilities in Austria. Here a mass balance model is applied -- for example, about 50% of the tungsten input comes from recycled sources. From Austria, the tungsten is shipped to China where it is transformed into counterweights that will be used in the Fairphone 2's vibration motor.
This achievement is the result of working closely with Austrian smelter Wolfram Bergbau und Hütten AG to support the reopening of the tungsten trade in Rwanda. The company was successfully audited by the Conflict-Free Smelter Program in April 2014 and again in April 2015 and has gradually started sourcing tungsten from Rwanda again, including from the New Bugarama Mining Company. Located in the north of Rwanda near the city of Kidao, the mine employs between 700 and 1200 local miners (depending on demand) and is an important source of income for the community.
Working together to support better sourcing
By supporting the tungsten trade in Central Africa, we're not only working to improve our own supply chain, we're also trying to encourage a more general acceptance of materials from this region. We know we're a small player in the industry, but we're optimistic that we can create a ripple effect for others to link to these initiatives. We welcome more (and bigger!) industry stakeholders on board to help create lasting change in conflict-affected communities and the electronics sector as a whole.
This post is part of a series produced by The Huffington Post and the United Nations Climate Change secretariat, in recognition of the Momentum for Change Awards. The series will put a spotlight on the organizations, cities, industries, governments and other key players behind some of the world's most innovative, scalable and replicable climate change solutions, and is part of TheHuffington Post's What's Working editorial initiative. To view the entire series, visit here.