NGO to Release Conflict Minerals Filings Report September 22

The 2015 edition of Mining the Disclosures: An Investor Guide to Conflict Mineral Reporting by Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN) will be a much-anticipated deep analysis of filings by more than 1,400 companies to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) per a mandate on whether their products contain materials from war-torn areas of Africa.

The Sept. 22 release of an authoritative study on current conflict minerals filings will include a live webinar to provide investors, suppliers, stakeholders and U.S. companies with additional insights into the research as well as recommendations to enhance compliance.

The webinar, hosted by Source Intelligence (SI) in partnership with RSN, will feature Patricia Jurewicz, director of RSN, and Andrew Arriaga, lead report author, discussing details of research released that day. The webinar will also include supply chain transparency experts from Source Intelligence providing a look into current efforts by major publicly traded companies to meet or exceed investor expectations for responsible sourcing and regulatory requirements.

The 2015 edition of Mining the Disclosures will introduce improvements to RSN’s first-in-kind performance indicators for conflict minerals due diligence. It will rank 155 large cap companies among their peers, which are within 20 industrial sectors with high exposure to conflict minerals. The 2015 report will examine filings submitted to the SEC in June of this year.  

RSN’s investor guide is at the forefront of social performance analysis, evaluating filings under Section 1502, the most sweeping social performance data requirements in the history of the SEC. RSN’s report is designed to encourage a holistic approach to responsible sourcing and provide investors and stakeholders with deeper insights into social performance efforts by companies. From the original passage of the legislation, RSN and its partners have pushed for comprehensive, transparent, and standardized reporting.

Source Intelligence is hosting the webinar because of its extensive experience and expertise in tracking and monitoring supply chains, validating conflict mineral data for companies. The unique open-source platform provided by Source Intelligence will allow suppliers to efficiently share sourcing reports. Source Intelligence was the most listed third-party investigative and verification resource by publicly traded companies required to file conflict mineral reports with the SEC.

Register for the webinar here.  

BACKGROUND
Under the 2010 Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, publicly traded companies based in the United States must report whether they use conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring war-torn countries. Militants in these countries are funding their war efforts through the sale of these raw materials.

More than 6,000 companies were expected to file with the SEC. However, only a fraction submitted reports, indicating how little reliable information about tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold (3TG) supply chains was available before the law was passed. Since its passage in 2010, Section 1502 has brought data and transparency to a trade in minerals whose extraction is often tied to appalling human rights violations. 

Despite regulatory and consumer pressure, many global brands have failed to commit to source conflict-free. Only two companies have determined all its 3TG products are conflict-free, with three others determining some product lines to be conflict-free. This has not come as a surprise to observers who understand that applying pressure onto the smelters that process the raw minerals is a complex and time-consuming endeavor. RSN’s report highlights those companies that have done an exemplary job of this engagement.

The conflict mineral issue has prompted thousands of companies to investigate other areas of their supply chain networks to ensure they are meeting ever-expanding sustainability, corporate social responsibility and environmental standards. Source Intelligence, for instance, is assisting companies in ensuring suppliers are providing materials and products without political corruption or slavery issues.

About Responsible Sourcing Network (www.sourcingnetwork.org)
Responsible Sourcing Network is a project of the nonprofit organization As You Sow (www.asyousow.org). RSN is dedicated to ending human rights abuses associated with the raw materials found in products we use every day. RSN supports stakeholders in leveraging their influence to achieve and measure impact in the areas of conflict minerals and slave labor.

About Source Intelligence® (www.sourceintelligence.com):
Source Intelligence® (SI) is a global network of businesses linked together to expedite the exchange and validation of compliance information. SI's cloud-based SaaS platform helps customers make informed decisions about business partners to offer products that meet legal, ethical, and environmental standards. The company's information and analytics platform provides customers with visibility into supply chains in order to comply with the law, minimize operational and brand risk, and improve efficiency. Founded in 2009 by career experts in environmental solutions and analytics, Source Intelligence® has headquarters in Carlsbad, California and operations worldwide.

Responsible Sourcing Network Contact:
Kristin Costa, Communications Associate
408-500-8555
kcosta@asyousow.org

Source Intelligence® Contact: 
Lina Ramos, Chief Business Officer 
760-232-4087 
lramos@sourceintelligence.com