Mining

Amidst Persisting Criticism, Apple Opts to Cease Sourcing Minerals from the DRC

Amidst Persisting Criticism, Apple Opts to Cease Sourcing Minerals from the DRC
Thursday, 19 December 2024 11:09

In recent months, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has engaged lawyers to address Apple's use of illicit and conflict minerals. The DRC has recently filed criminal complaints against Apple in France and Belgium.

Apple denied accusations from the Congolese government on December 17, asserting it no longer uses “conflict minerals” in its products. The company said it has asked its suppliers to stop sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, and other metals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

Despite this, no independent report has verified Apple's claims. The denial, reported by Reuters, was made public as Kinshasa's lawyers announced the filing of criminal complaints against Apple's subsidiaries in France and Belgium.

In April 2024, the Congolese government issued a formal notice to Apple, demanding better accountability for its mineral traceability processes, which were deemed inadequate. The following month, the DRC's lawyers announced they had new evidence to support their allegations against Apple. Apple maintains that its smelters and refineries undergo third-party audits to ensure responsible sourcing practices. 

Between 2009 and early 2022, Apple removed 163 smelters and refineries from its supply chain, including nine involved with tantalum, 50 with tin, 19 with tungsten, and 85 with gold, as reported in a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing cited by Bloomberg in February 2022.

However, it remains to be seen how Apple's recent actions, including its decision to stop sourcing minerals from the DRC and Rwanda, will impact the ongoing legal proceedings initiated by the DRC. The Congolese government has yet to specify what it hopes to achieve from these proceedings, whether financial compensation or improved traceability mechanisms.

This article was initially published in French by Emiliano Tossou and edited by Wilfried ASSOGBA

On the same topic
• Harena Resources takes full control of Madagascar rare earths project• Ampasindava deposit holds 606,000 tonnes of TREO reserves• Mine construction cost...
As African power systems still heavily rely on fossil fuels, waste-to-energy is emerging as a credible path to diversification, attracting a growing...
Rhino's Volans-1X well is at target depth in PEL 85; results are expected within coming four to six weeks. Capricornus-1X flowed 11,000 bbl/day of...
Dangote Group signed a $2.5 billion deal with Ethiopia’s sovereign fund to build a fertilizer plant in Gode. The factory will produce 3...
Most Read
01

It’s a common scene in any Lomé (Togo) market, but it’s telling. A customer hands a 10,000 CFA franc...

The Change Shortage: A Crisis Hidden by the CFA Franc’s Stability
02

Egypt’s handset market is projected to leap from $2.5 billion in 2025 to $4.8 billion by...

Egypt’s $2.5B-to-$4.8B Smartphone Surge Set to Reshape Africa’s Tech Map by 2031
03

Burkina Faso ends Target Malaria, a GMO mosquito project funded by the Gates Foundation. The ...

Burkina Faso Halts a Malaria Program Backed by Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
04

Egypt and UNECA launched a five-day workshop in Cairo to strengthen maritime tax audits and IFRS-b...

Egypt Bolsters Maritime Tax Collection With UN Economic Commission Training
05

Sadot and Vodacom’s MOTI launch Africa’s first telco-powered farm-to-fork app to cut crop losses a...

Sadot, Vodacom-Backed MOTI Launch Africa’s First Telco-Powered Farm-to-Fork App  
Enter your email to receive our newsletter

Ecofin Agency provides daily coverage of nine key African economic sectors: public management, finance, telecoms, agribusiness, mining, energy, transport, communication, and education.
It also designs and manages specialized media, both online and print, for African institutions and publishers.

SALES & ADVERTISING

regie@agenceecofin.com 
Tél: +41 22 301 96 11 
Mob: +41 78 699 13 72


EDITORIAL
redaction@agenceecofin.com

More information
Team
Publisher

ECOFIN AGENCY

Mediamania Sarl
Rue du Léman, 6
1201 Geneva
Switzerland

 

Ecofin Agency is a sector-focused economic news agency, founded in December 2010. Its web platform was launched in June 2011. ©Mediamania.

 
 

Please publish modules in offcanvas position.