H.C. Starck, a leading manufacturer of technology metals and advanced ceramics, announced today that its tantalum supply chain has been again declared free of “conflict minerals” following an independent audit.
The audit was conducted by a third party auditor assigned by the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) and Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) as part of the Conflict Free Smelter Program (CFSP).
"The procurement and processing of raw materials from conflict-free sources is a core component of our raw material strategy", said Andreas Meier, President and CEO of H.C. Starck. "We are proud of the re-certification because it proves the success of our sustainability efforts in procuring raw materials."
At the beginning of 2015, all of H.C. Starck’s tantalum processing plants in the United States, Germany, Japan, and in Thailand were audited by independent auditors, assigned by the EICC and GeSI and were found to meet the high CFSP site requirements.
To be declared conflict-free, H.C. Starck had to prove that it has documented and integrated a conflict minerals policy into its business operations to avoid the use of ores and metals that finance or benefit armed groups; deploys a system for tracing finished goods back to its mine of origin, and documents that all of its purchased and processed materials are from conflict-free sources.
The raw material supply of H.C. Starck rests on two strong pillars: cooperation with established and certified mines as well as increasing recycling activities of secondary materials. “Technology metal recycling is a distinctive competence of H.C. Starck,” said Meier. “It helps us to accomplish supply security and it reduces our dependency from volatile global raw material pricing.”
H.C. Starck fully supports the position of the EICC and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) to avoid the use of ores and metals that finance or benefit armed groups. The company is committed to actively supporting its customers with their diligence and disclosure requirements as required by the SEC regulations.
H. C. Starck is a member of the ITRI Tin Supply Chain Initiative (iTSCi), which has developed a due diligence system for a transparent raw material supply chain in conflict regions and monitors the implementation of the system in their member companies. In support of government and private initiatives to develop conflict-free supply chain systems, H.C. Starck is a founding member of the Public-Private Alliance for Responsible Minerals Trade (PPA).
About H.C. Starck
The H.C. Starck Group is a leading global supplier of technology metals and advanced ceramics, and serves growing industries such as the electronics, chemicals, automotive, medical technology, aerospace, energy technology, and environmental technology industries, as well as engineering companies and tool manufacturers, from its own manufacturing facilities located in Europe, America, and Asia. In 2013, the company had about 2,800 employees in the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Germany, China, Thailand, Vietnam and Japan. Additional news about the company is available at www.hcstarck.com.