1) What are we asking companies to do?

2) Should companies stop buying Congolese minerals?

3) What about Congolese miners? Will this impoverish them even further?

4) Some companies already have policies that they do not buy conflict minerals from Congo. What is wrong with these policies?

5) Are electronics companies solely responsible for solving Congo's conflict minerals problem?

6) I am worried that my cell phone may be contributing to violence in Congo. But if I simply endorse a pledge, will that really help the situation?

7) Are there alternative sources of these minerals besides eastern Congo?

8) What are cassiterite, coltan, and wolframite? Why do some articles talk about metals and not minerals?

1) What are we asking companies to do?

By signing the conflict minerals pledge, companies commit to ensuring that their products will no longer finance armed conflict and atrocities in Congo. Companies need to take two steps to provide credible assurance that they are conflict-free:

First, trace their minerals back to their specific mines of origin. This will help them determine if they are purchasing minerals from mines controlled by armed groups.

Second, audit their supply chains, to determine whether their minerals have been illegally taxed by armed groups.

Most importantly, companies need to provide independent verification that they have taken these steps. They cannot simply take their suppliers at their word. The Enough Project will work with companies on the specific terms and actions to ensure they are able and willing to meet their commitments as signatories to the pledge.

2) Should companies stop buying Congolese minerals?

No. Enough is not calling for a boycott of minerals from Congo. We are demanding greater transparency in the supply chain and calling for companies to undertake the due diligence required to ensure they are not contributing to the conflict.

Not all the minerals from eastern Congo are controlled by armed groups. The problem is that these legitimate sources mix with "conflict minerals" as they move through the supply chain and are exported from Congo. Strengthening the legitimate mineral trade in eastern Congo will require a cooperative effort from local communities, the Congolese and regional governments, the private sector, and the international community. The measures that Enough is calling for from electronic companies are key components of this process.

3) What about Congolese miners? Will this impoverish them even further?

Ending the conflict in eastern Congo is the best way to help the Congolese people recover from more than a decade of suffering and violence. A critical aspect of this effort is severing the link between the minerals trade and the armed groups committing atrocities in eastern Congo. But a comprehensive approach is required to improve the Congolese mining sector, one that improves livelihoods for miners and complements corporate responsibility.

Artisanal miners work in extremely difficult conditions in eastern Congo and earn an average of $1-5 per day, largely because the armed groups extract such enormous profits on the backs of their labor. Systems of indentured labor, extreme health and safety hazards, and environmental damage are widespread. The United States and other governments must work with the Congolese government to reform the mineral trade so that its benefits accrue to the Congolese people rather than the armed groups that prey upon them.

Enough recognizes the potential economic consequences of an interruption in the trade in minerals in eastern Congo, and we are calling for a substantial international investment in alternative livelihoods and transitional support for miners to mitigate these effects. These programs should be supported by international donors and corporate social responsibility initiatives on the part of leading electronics companies and other companies in the supply chain.

In the medium and long run, greater transparency and corporate responsibility will help to expand the market for conflict-free minerals and ensure that profits from resource exploitation in Congo benefit local populations in a legal and sustainable manner. A legitimate supply chain would open up the private sector in eastern Congo to responsible operators and improve the livelihoods of artisanal miners. For more on this, read our strategy paper "A Comprehensive Approach to Congo's Conflict Minerals."

4) Some companies already have policies that they do not buy conflict minerals from Congo. What is wrong with these policies?

Several electronics companies have issued statements that they ask suppliers not to source materials from conflict areas in Congo. Most of these policies only refer to tantalum and neglect the other minerals of concern. Moreover, these are merely written assurances that do not provide proof of where the minerals actually come from. They are not verified by any independent source. We currently have no way of knowing whether the minerals passed through the hands of armed groups in eastern Congo or whether they came from another source. That is why we need more definitive proof through tracing and auditing.

5) Are electronics companies solely responsible for solving Congo's conflict minerals problem?

No. The Congo conflict minerals problem requires a comprehensive strategy, which must include serious policy action by the international community, the Obama administration, the Congolese government, the U.N., and non-governmental organizations -- on issues of security, governance, and livelihoods. But electronics companies, as the primary end user of minerals from eastern Congo, bear a responsibility for cleaning up their supply chains. Our cell phones should not be fueling violent conflict. The companies have an important role to play in being part of the bigger solution.

6) I am worried that my cell phone may be contributing to violence in Congo. But if I simply endorse a pledge, will that really help the situation?

Yes. Two of the most powerful actors in the Congo minerals issue are not paying enough attention to this issue: the U.S. government and electronics companies. But they are responsive to consumer and voter concerns. If enough people let them know that they demand better -- that they don't want conflict minerals tainting their cell phones and they want them to properly clean up their supply chains -- then the companies and the U.S. government will have do take much more proactive action. They will have to trace, audit, and devise real policy responses that will matter. When the public cried out about blood diamonds, governments and the diamond companies listened and came up with the Kimberley Process. This could be even bigger. Your voice matters.

7) Are there alternative sources of these minerals besides eastern Congo?

We are not calling for companies to walk away from the Congo. However, the percentages of the global supply of the 3Ts coming from Congo is relatively small, from one percent to 12 percent, depending on the specific mineral. Tantalum is temporarily much higher, at approximately 30 percent, because the largest supplier of tantalum, Australia, recently suspended production. Major alternative sources of these minerals include:

Tin: China, Indonesia, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil
Tantalum: Australia, Brazil, Canada
Tungsten: China, Russia, Canada
Gold: South Africa, Australia, the United States, China

It is important to note that the Enough Project is not calling for a ban or boycott of Congolese minerals, which would hurt miners. Instead, we encourage the development of conflict-free mineral supplies from Congo through the development of tracing and auditing mechanisms to improve the transparency and legitimacy of the trade.

8) What are cassiterite, coltan, and wolframite? Why do some articles talk about metals and not minerals?

Before they are processed later down the supply chain into metals, the 3Ts minerals in Congo are often referred to in their mineral ore form.
- Tin ore = cassiterite
- Tanatalum ore = coltan or columbite-tantalite
- Tungsten ore = wolframite

The mineral ores are what make up the metals tin, tantalum, and tungsten. They change names once they are smelted and/or chemically processed by refining companies. To be consistent, we refer to "conflict minerals" because it is the mineral ores that fuel violence in eastern Congo.