The European Commission has launched ‘Due diligence ready!’ to promote responsible sourcing from high risk and conflict affected areas. The online portal contains information and tools to guide companies on how to check the source of their raw materials and improve their due diligence capacity. Although the portal is primarily designed for small and medium sized enterprises, it will also be a useful for any company with mineral supply chains.
Since recent years, there has been a growing market demand for responsibly sourced minerals. Consumers, NGOs, and the international community have been concerned about the link between minerals, conflicts, and human rights abuses. ‘Due diligence ready!’ will help businesses avoid contributing to conflict and human rights abuses through their mineral purchasing and comply with regulatory requirements, including the new EU ‘conflict minerals’ regulation effective from 1 January 2021.
For more efficiency and transparency across the supply chain, businesses should not operate on their own. We encourage companies to partner with an industry due diligence programme to gather the information they need regarding the source of their materials. Getting involved in a joint industry programme will enable downstream companies to have access to crucial information such as the audit report of smelters, which will provide a better understanding of the due diligence process of their counterparty.
The International Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) is the award-winning traceability and due diligence programme based on standards that are 100% aligned with the OECD Guidance for Conflict Affected and High Risk Areas. The programme enables both upstream and downstream companies to have access to crucial information on their supply chain, share the costs of due diligence, and reduce risks while contributing to benefiting local communities.
Find out more about the ITSCI programme at https://www.itsci.org/about-itsci/
For more information about the EU ‘Due diligence ready!’ portal https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_19_6298