Apple claims that it has ceased partnerships with a dozen refiners and smelters due to the fact that they mine their minerals to support armed conflicts.
The SEC filing was submitted by Apple, who said that they conducted a ‘conflict minerals audit’ and came away with a resolution to stop working with those who were found harvesting precious minerals in sources where the profit was used to fund armed conflict.
The Cupertino-based company completed an audit in 2021 and removed those who refused it. Apple then mentioned that its Supplier of Code Conduct, which includes the Supplier Responsibility Standard, requires supply chains to be free of risks such as human rights, environmental and social aspects.
Apple also stated that they do not claim a hundred percent certainty in their stance against minerals in ‘conflict areas’, and found no ‘reasonable basis’ for concluding that any of their chains was directly or indirectly used to benefit armed groups.
