conflict minerals
Conflict Mineral reporting and disclosure requirements were enacted due to concerns that the exploitation and trade of minerals by armed groups is helping to finance conflict in the DRC region and is contributing to an emergency humanitarian crisis. “Conflict minerals” are gold, columbite-tantalite (coltan), cassiterite, and wolframite (including their derivatives, tantalum, tin and tungsten). The “Covered Countries” are the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the Republic of the Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Tanzania, Zambia and Angola.
Consistent with Ashland’s commitment to social responsibility and sustainability:
- Ashland intends to work to improve the due diligence conducted to obtain more current, completed and reliable information from all applicable suppliers about the source and chain of custody of conflict minerals.
- The Supplier Code of Conduct includes a section on the sourcing of conflict minerals. The Code has been distributed to Ashland’s supplier base and suppliers are expected to sign and provide evidence of conformity to the Code.
- Ashland will continue to engage with its direct suppliers and encourage them to obtain responses from their suppliers in order to provide the detailed information needed to comply with the SEC reporting requirements.
Suppliers who are not able to provide adequate information about the source of any conflict minerals shall be evaluated by Ashland for non-conformity and Ashland reserves the right to terminate the business relationship and any existing contracts.