Oct 21, 2011 IPC’s Solder Products Value Council (SPVC) is actively urging tin smelters to become smelters of conflict-free minerals and recommends the Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition/Global e-Sustainability Initiative (EICC/GESI) Conflict-Free Smelter (CFS) program. The CFS is an audit and certification program that will identify and publish lists of smelters that have been certified as using “conflict-free” minerals.
Under conflict minerals provisions (Section 1502) of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Public Law 111-203), publicly traded companies will be required to submit detailed reports to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on the origin of the tin, tantalum, gold, or tungsten in their products. The CFS program, which has been endorsed by IPC SPVC, the International Conference for the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the United Nations, is expected to benefit the entire supply chain by reducing the burden of complying with conflict minerals regulations.
Karl Seelig, vice president of technology, AIM Inc. and SPVC chairman, explained that “tin smelters can help the entire electronics industry supply chain meet reporting requirements under the Dodd-Frank Act by engaging as soon as possible in a certification program like the EICC/GeSI Conflict-Free Smelter program.”
“Although the reporting requirements apply only to publicly traded companies, we now see requirements rapidly flow through the entire supply chain, similar in manner to the Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) compliance data requests,” said Tony Hilvers, IPC vice president of industry programs. “Companies not required by law to file reports will likely be required to provide similar information to its customers to assist in their reporting efforts. These new regulations will not only affect U.S. companies, but also any company doing business or having customers doing business in the United States.”
Adds Hilvers, “From a business perspective, smelters that participate in the CFS program will benefit from having been certified as ‘conflict-free.’”
Members of the IPC SPVC who endorse the CFS program include: AIM Inc.; Amtech, Inc.; Cookson Electronics; Harimatec; Henkel Corporation; Indium Corporation; Inventec Performance Chemicals; Koki Company Limited.; Metallic Resources Inc.; Nihon Superior Company, Ltd.; Nordson EFD; P. Kay Metal Inc.; Red Ring Solder; Senju Metal Industry Co. Ltd.; Shenmao Technology Group; and Yik Shing Tat Industrial Co., Ltd.
For more information on the activities of the IPC SPVC, contact Hilvers at AnthonyHilvers@ipc.org or +1 847-597-2837.
IPC (www.IPC.org) is a global trade association based in Bannockburn, Ill., dedicated to the competitive excellence and financial success of its 3,000 member companies which represent all facets of the electronics industry, including design, printed board manufacturing, electronics assembly and test. As a member-driven organization and leading source for industry standards, training, market research and public policy advocacy, IPC supports programs to meet the needs of an estimated $1.85 trillion global electronics industry. IPC maintains additional offices in Taos, N.M.; Arlington, Va.; Stockholm, Sweden; Moscow, Russia; Bangalore, India; and Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, China.
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