The
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on July 21, 2010. This sweeping legislation, consuming over 800 pages, has broad implications for the way our financial systems operates. Also included in the act is SEC 1502, under "miscellaneous provisions" that requires
companies to disclose if they use "conflict minerals" originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) or adjoining countries.
The details of SEC 1502 are being worked through the SEC rulemaking process; however, Intel is not waiting around for the rule to be finalized. Quite the contrary, Intel has been working on this issue long before the legislation was passed. Our efforts on conflict minerals are focused in three main areas: (1) driving accountability and ownership within our own supply chain through smelter validation audits; (2) partnering with key industry associations, including the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition, Business for Social Responsibility, and ITRI the international tin industry association, to drive industry-wide action; and (3) working with both governmental agencies and non-governmental organizations to drive solutions to this complex issue.
We have approached the issue of conflict minerals with a sense of urgency and resolve. Additionally, we have tried to be transparent in our approach - seeking and sharing our knowledge with other companies and organizations. In support of transparency, we are posting today a white paper outlining our continuing efforts to achieve a "conflict-free" supply chain. We will update this information as we have new information available, and we would appreciate hearing your ideas and thoughts on this important topic.
