The European Commission has put forward a proposal to encourage companies to check their supply chains to ensure that the minerals they buy from conflict-affected and high-risk areas are sourced responsibly and don’t fund violence or suffering.
This is a landmark opportunity for progress, but the current proposal doesn’t go nearly far enough. The voluntary scheme on the table is unlikely to have any impact on the way European companies source their minerals. It is also unlikely to meaningfully tackle the trade in conflict minerals.
This is why I signed this initiative on walkfree.org