Uncovering the Dark Side of Technology: Exploring the Connection of Conflict Minerals, Child Labor, and the Global Supply Chain in the Electronics Industry

Abstract

A topic that has recently come to light over the past few years is the conflicts with the electronics supply chain. With the increasing amount of technology, people are wanting more and more electronic devices that satisfy all their needs and make their lives easier. With this increase in demand for these devices, minerals such as tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold are being sourced at a rapid rate. This leads to conflicts within the supply chain as the minerals are being sourced from countries like the Democratic Republic of the Congo where minerals are being mined by children and women in very poor working conditions. This is where the term “conflict minerals” stemmed from. Laws and regulations have been put in place to try and reduce the amount of conflict minerals being sourced. A good example is the Dodd-Frank Act that was created in 2010, more specifically section 1502 which addresses the topic of conflict minerals. The goal of section 1502 is to increase the traceability among companies that are part of the stock exchange to ensure they are not sourcing their minerals from conflicted countries. Progress is being made; however, there are still thousands of companies that have no idea where the source of their raw material comes from