Which are the major countries that come under these conflict-affected regions?

The Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, Burundi, Central African Republic, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, South Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia are the major countries that come under these conflict-affected regions.

What is Dodd-Frank Act?

The Dodd-Frank Act fully known as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act is a regulation passed during the Obama administration in 2010 to prevent another financial collapse that took place in 2008.

How does Dodd-Frank Act relate to conflict minerals?

Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank act talks about the rules and regulations that need to be followed by companies that deal with conflict minerals. This has been implemented basically to counter illegal activities involving these minerals. The rules are as follows; Companies traded on the US stock exchange market have to report the following:

• Does the company use conflict minerals (or metals refined from such minerals)?
• If yes: Did any of these materials originate in the DRC or any adjoining countries?
• If yes: The company has to provide a “conflict minerals report” describing all measures taken to avoid direct or indirect financing of conflict (including independent auditing results). Companies that are not using conflict minerals can use the label “DRC conflict-free”.

Is sourcing from DRC and the adjoining countries against the law?

Sourcing of conflict minerals from DRC and the adjoining countries is not against the law unless and until the smelters are not RMI certified.

Is it mandatory to submit CMRT to the customer even if 3TG is not used in the products?

Yes, it is mandatory to submit CMRT to the customer even if 3TG is not used in the products where Q1 (Is any 3TG intentionally added or used in the product(s) or the production process?) in the “declaration” tab should be filled as “No” indicating that 3TG is not used in the products.

What is Form SD?

An SD (Specialized disclosure) is a form that contains all the information on the actions taken by a company to make sure all the rules about conflict mineral regulations are met. All the companies listed in the US stock-exchange market need to submit an SD to the SEC.