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Joint Conflict-Free Tungsten Program Announced

Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative and Tungsten Industry Conflict Minerals Council Launch Collaboration

Joint Conflict-Free Tungsten Program Announced

Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative and Tungsten Industry Conflict Minerals Council Launch Collaboration

Published 11-26-13

Submitted by Responsible Business Alliance

A new collaboration between the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative (CFSI) and the Tungsten Industry Conflict Minerals Council (TI-CMC) makes it easier for companies to source conflict-free tungsten. Through the joint development of a specialized framework, members of the TI-CMC may now choose to become validated as Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) conflict-free tungsten smelters under the CFSI’s Conflict-Free Smelter Program (CFSP). This breakthrough marks the first time the CFSI and TI-CMC can provide information about conflict-free tungsten smelters – just in time for U.S. reporting requirements on conflict minerals in 2014.

“Over the past five years, companies have worked hard to address conflict minerals in their supply chains. Being able to provide companies with information about audit-validated, conflict-free tungsten smelters is a real success for our initiative, companies, and crucially the people on the ground who are affected by conflict in central Africa,” said Robert Lederer, Executive Director of the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition.

“We’re very pleased to have crafted this unified approach to addressing conflict minerals issues. The TI-CMC sees this collaboration as an efficient and practical way for tungsten smelters to provide confidence to their customers that their sourcing practices do not directly or indirectly support conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries,” said James R. Dale, Vice President of Member and Industry Relations for the Metal Powder Industries Federation.

As part of the collaboration, TI-CMC compliant tungsten smelters may choose to undergo the Conflict-Free Smelter Program audit. The names of smelters compliant with the TI-CMC conflict-free tungsten program and CFSP compliant tungsten smelters will be publicly listed on the websites of the TI-CMC and the CFSI to help businesses make informed sourcing decisions.

About the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative
Founded in 2008 by a coalition of leading electronics companies, the Conflict-Free Sourcing Initiative has grown into one of the most utilized and respected resources for companies addressing conflict minerals issues in their supply chains. Over 120 companies participate in the CFSI today, contributing to a range of tools and resources including the Conflict-Free Smelter Program, the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template, Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry data and a range of white papers and guidance documents on conflict minerals sourcing. The CFSI also runs regular workshops on conflict minerals issues and contributes to policy development and debates with leading civil society organizations and governments. www.conflictfreesourcinginitiative.org

About the Tungsten Industry Conflict Minerals Council
The TI-CMC is a working group of tungsten refiners, supported by two leading tungsten industry trade associations, the International Tungsten Industry Association (ITIA), London, England, and the Refractory Metals Association (RMA), Princeton, New Jersey, who have established an Initiative that provides a mechanism for industry members to demonstrate their compliance with Security and Exchange Commission regulations under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act.

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