Supply Chain Abuses

The Challenge

The production of digital devices relies on complex global supply chains that often begin with the extraction of minerals under problematic conditions. These supply chains frequently involve serious human rights abuses, environmental damage, and conflict financing. Key concerns include:

• Child Labor: Minerals essential to electronics, particularly cobalt used in batteries, are often mined using child labor in hazardous conditions, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Conflict Financing: The mining and trade of certain minerals, including tin, tungsten, tantalum, and gold (3TG), can finance armed groups and fuel conflict in regions like Central Africa.
• Environmental Damage: Mining operations for rare earth elements and other technology minerals often cause severe environmental degradation, including deforestation, water pollution, and soil contamination.
• Supply Chain Opacity: Complex, multi-tier supply chains make it difficult to trace minerals from mine to device, enabling companies to avoid accountability for abuses in their supply chains.

Our Approach

The Global Tech Governance Institute takes a rights-based approach to addressing technology supply chain abuses:

• Supply Chain Mapping: Developing methodologies and tools to trace minerals from extraction to end products, creating transparency and accountability throughout the supply chain.
• Due Diligence Standards: Researching and promoting robust due diligence frameworks that enable companies to identify, prevent, and mitigate human rights risks in their supply chains.
• Policy Development: Creating governance frameworks that require supply chain transparency, establish accountability for abuses, and create incentives for responsible sourcing.
• Alternative Models: Exploring and supporting alternative approaches to mineral sourcing, including fair trade minerals, recycled materials, and material substitution.

Current Initiatives

Our work in this area currently includes:

• Mineral Supply Chain Mapping Project: A research initiative tracing the flow of key technology minerals from mines to end products, documenting human rights and environmental impacts along the way.
• Responsible Sourcing Certification: A multi-stakeholder initiative developing standards and certification mechanisms for responsibly sourced minerals used in technology products.
• Supply Chain Transparency Index: A monitoring project evaluating major technology companies on their supply chain transparency, due diligence practices, and response to identified abuses.
• Community Rights Network: A collaborative initiative supporting mining communities in asserting their rights and negotiating fair terms with mining operations in their territories.