<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>Many companies seek to take over more responsibility for their supply chain and their raw materials. Intel was one of the first companies investigating the origin of conflict minerals like tin, tantalum, gold or tungsten, which are used in many electronic products. Their path to ultimately offering conflict-free microprocessors took more than five years of consistent preparation and intensive reengineering of the business process. They identified smelters as a bottleneck in the supply chain and started cooperating closely with them to trace their minerals’ supply. By developing a bag-and-tag system the company is now able to ensure that their minerals are not sourced from illegal mines, which often finance illegal warlords, for example, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The cooperation with the smelters brings about higher demand and in consequence higher prices for the legally sourced minerals. Many small miners and their families in the region directly benefit from the higher earnings.</p>
</abstract>

Many companies seek to take over more responsibility for their supply chain and their raw materials. Intel was one of the first companies investigating the origin of conflict minerals like tin, tantalum, gold or tungsten, which are used in many electronic products. Their path to ultimately offering conflict-free microprocessors took more than five years of consistent preparation and intensive reengineering of the business process. They identified smelters as a bottleneck in the supply chain and started cooperating closely with them to trace their minerals’ supply. By developing a bag-and-tag system the company is now able to ensure that their minerals are not sourced from illegal mines, which often finance illegal warlords, for example, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The cooperation with the smelters brings about higher demand and in consequence higher prices for the legally sourced minerals. Many small miners and their families in the region directly benefit from the higher earnings.

Branding Raw Material to Improve Human Rights: Intel’s Ban on Conflict Minerals

Intel GmbH, Director Europe Corporate Affairs, Feldkirchen/Munich,

NIM Marketing Intelligence Review

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Many companies seek to take over more responsibility for their supply chain and their raw materials. Intel was one of the first companies investigating the...

Branding Raw Material to Improve Human Rights: Intel’s Ban on Conflict Minerals

Published Online: Apr 29, 2016

Page range: 36 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/gfkmir-2016-0006

Keywords
CSR, Conflict Minerals, Supply Chain, Eastern Congo, Intel

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Branding Raw Material to Improve Human Rights: Intel’s Ban on Conflict Minerals

Published Online: Apr 29, 2016

Page range: 36 - 41

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1515/gfkmir-2016-0006

KeywordsCSR, Conflict Minerals, Supply Chain, Eastern Congo, Intel

© 2016

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Keywords
CSR, Conflict Minerals, Supply Chain, Eastern Congo, Intel