GE Statement of Principles on Conflict Minerals

Our Commitment

GE condemns the ongoing conflict and resulting humanitarian disaster in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is fueled in part by financing from trade in the ores from which tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold are derived.  These elements have come to be known as “Conflict Minerals”; when they originate in mines operated or taxed by the warring factions, they can be referred to as “Conflict Minerals from Conflict Mines.”

Conflict Minerals are common constituents of products ranging from light bulbs to aircraft engines.  Because the minerals in these products typically enter supply chains many layers removed from manufacturers like GE, it is difficult to determine whether they support armed conflict.  At the same time, millions of Congolese workers rely on artisanal mining or work in legitimate mines to support a subsistence living.  Avoiding purchase of all Conflict Minerals from the DRC region would cause severe hardship for them and their dependents.

In furtherance of our Statement of Principles on Human Rights, GE is committed to work toward eliminating from our products Conflict Minerals that support armed groups in the DRC or in the surrounding countries, while minimizing unintended consequences for legitimate subsistence miners and their dependents.

Our Actions

GE will:

1.  Continue to work toward the elimination, over time, of all Conflict Minerals from Conflict Mines in our products, and endeavor to improve, year-over-year, our ability to track Conflict Minerals in our supply chain, report on their origin, and eliminate those that originate in Conflict Mines.

2.  Comply with the requirements of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, which requires companies to inquire into the origin of tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold in their supply chains and report on the reasonable inquiry or due diligence they conduct to determine whether their purchase supported armed groups in the DRC.

3.   Support industry-wide initiatives to verify smelters and refiners that are Conflict Free.

4.  Support initiatives to track Conflict Mineral ores from mines of origin in the DRC to smelters or refiners, so that Conflict Free mining and transportation routes can be verified.  This will allow responsible smelters and refiners to continue to source ores from legitimate mines in the DRC region and still be certified as Conflict Free, thereby minimizing the unintended consequence of encouraging a “Congo Free” policy.