As a member of IPC, we get information alerts from time to time. We received this one today with important information for many companies and clients. REMINDER: California’s Human Trafficking and Slavery Law Takes Effect January 1, 2012 On January 1, 2012, companies doing business in California that have annual gross global receipts in excess of $100 million will need to comply with California’s Human Trafficking and Slavery Law. The law requires companies to publicly disclose efforts to ensure their supply chains do not support human trafficking or slavery. The bill will have unintended consequences on the electronics industry as the entire supply chain will be questioned and audited regarding their social responsibility practices. Although the law only directly impacts larger companies, the supply chain will need to provide substantial information and undergo extensive audits. If you think that your company is not impacted because your company doesn’t sell products in the State of California think again. Your current and potential customers in California will most likely request information from your company on efforts to eradicate human trafficking and slavery. Because most companies will likely choose to continue conducting business in California, the world’s 8th largest economy, it is expected
Read more →The Elm Consulting Group International LLC has released a new revision to the Self Implemented Conflict Minerals Audit Preparation Tool. The update, Revision 1.33, incorporates Minor changes in response to feedback obtained from the late June EICC Extractives Supply Chain Workshop VI in Washington DC; Further clarifications on the OECD framework, its relationship to SICMAP℠ and SEC auditor standards; and Related elements of California Transparency in Supply Chains Act of 2010. Lawrence M. Heim, CPEA, is leading the firm’s conflict minerals services and SICMAP℠ development: In our discussions with various companies and workshop attendees, we obtained feedback on a few minor changes and clarifications to improve the tool. In addition, we decided to incorporate the new California law as there are many similarities between those mandates and the conflict minerals requirements. The video introduction and overview of SICMAP℠ can be viewed here.
Read more →Ed. note: We are fortunate to count Mark Schaffer as an Elm Affiliate. Mark is located in Austin, Texas and runs Schaffer Environmental, providing a range of supply chain, sustainability and product content consulting support to the computer, technology and electronics industries. Mark submitted the following piece on conflict minerals from his perspective on other product content matters. The Dodd-Frank Act requires companies regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to report whether their products contain conflict minerals from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and other nearby countries. These conflict minerals are defined as cassiterite, columbite-tantalite, gold, wolframite and their derivatives (tin, tantalum and tungsten) – though, in the future, more minerals may be added to this list. These materials are found in a variety of consumer products that we love to use everyday, from computers to cell phones, golf clubs to fishing weights. So, to the purchaser of these consumer products, what is the real impact of whether the product contains one of these minerals sourced from the Congo? Currently, the exact reporting requirements are still not established. The law requires manufacturers sourcing “conflict minerals” to include information on their sourcing in their websites. The SEC
Read more →Media outlets including USAToday and San Diego News Network are announcing an environmental settlement reached by Wal-Mart and environmental regulators. The settlement is valued at $27.6 million and caps a five-year investigation of the retailer’s management of wastes such as cleaning chemicals, paints and pesticides across 236 stores in California. While this is one of the largest settlements of its kind in the US, it is unlikely to have any significant impact on the financial condition of the world’s largest retailer, which is ranked #1 on the 2010 Fortune 500 list, posting more than $378billion in revenues and $12.7billion in profit for 2009.
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