Dell today commended U.S. Rep. Jim McDermott on the introduction of the Conflict Minerals Trade Act in the House of Representatives. Dell supports the goals of this bill and has long embraced transparency and procurement from a socially and environmentally responsible supply chain. We have also been encouraging industry dialogue in an effort to eradicate atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
It will take more than one company, more than one industry, to have an impact in the DRC. The power of a collective multi-industry push is the catalyst that will make the change possible. Dell is committed to working with other industries, the Government and non-governmental organizations to reach agreement on a solution to purchasing conflict-free minerals and to help implement this solution.
Minerals such as tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold are used in numerous products including those in the aerospace, automotive, electronics and jewelry industries. These minerals are extracted from the DRC, and only a few other locations in the world. In our industry, the mining of these minerals takes place many layers before a final product is assembled, making it difficult, if not impossible, to trace the minerals' origins. It is easy for entire industries to abstain from thinking that this is their problem because of the indirect nature of minerals. But that is not the thinking we encourage of socially and environmentally responsible organizations. Rather, we must use our collective knowledge and resources to ensure that we co-operate and eradicate human rights violations in the DRC and that no layer of our supply chain contributes to these atrocities.
We will continue to lead the conversation, proactively seek solutions and encourage everyone who has a final product that contains these minerals to join us in this endeavor.