The tech giants have dropped the focus on whether their products are built with conflict minerals, according to a new review. A third of Microsoft’s subcontractors do not meet the requirements.
It is the site Gamesindustry.biz that has reviewed how tech companies such as Microsoft, Sony, Google, Meta, Apple, Amazon and Nintendo check that their products do not contain conflict minerals. The survey points to a more relaxed approach to the problem from basically everyone involved.
Armed conflicts
About ten years ago, the companies began reporting whether subcontractors lived up to requirements not to get involved in armed conflicts or child labor in the areas, mainly the Democratic Republic of Congo, where minerals for games consoles, for example, are mined. After initially having difficulty reporting how many of their partners did not trade in conflict minerals, all companies tightened supervision. In 2019, Microsoft assured that 99.6 percent of the smelters and refineries it worked with had passed a third-party review. By 2022, that number is down to 65 percent, according to Gamesindustry.biz.
Breached several contracts
However, Microsoft is not alone in reporting negative figures. Sony reports that 73 percent of the smelters and refineries it worked with had passed a third-party review. Before 2020, that figure was over 80 percent.
Meta reports in the same category a figure of 89 percent, two years ago that figure was 99 percent.
Both Google and Apple report that all smelters and refineries they worked with had passed a third-party review. However, Apple has broken the contract with 23 of 261 subcontractors in 2022 for not living up to the requirements. Google has also suspended its participation in several initiatives to ensure continued conflict-free mineral resources, according to Gamesindustry.biz.