Policy of Coltan

 

Samsung's Telecommunication Business has taken the following steps to endeavour that our mobile phones do not contain materials derived from illegally mined Congolese coltan.

 

What are coltan and tantalum?

 

Short for columbite-tantalite, coltan is a black, tar-like mineral used to produce tantalum powder which, in turn, is an essential element used in the manufacture of many portable electronic devices, including mobile phones. Coltan is found and mined in several regions around the world such as Australia, Brazil and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It is known that illegally mined coltan from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is contributing to intense political conflict in the region and causing significant harm to wildlife.

 

What is Samsung' Policy on Coltan?

 

Samsung's Telecommunication Business has taken the following steps to endeavour that our mobile phones do not contain materials derived from illegally mined Congolese coltan:

 

•   We do not purchase coltan directly from the DRC nor from any other source in the form of raw material. A limited number of our component vendors do supply us with tantalum-based components.
•   In the cases when Samsung does use tantalum-based components, the company requires suppliers to take appropriate measures in order to avoid using coltan sourced from the DRC region.
•   We request that all vendors refrain from purchasing coltan mined in the DRC and we regularly audit vendors to ensure compliance. Our component vendors inform us that they obtain tantalum powder from the U.S.A, Russia and Thailand, not from the DRC.
•   We are making efforts to use substitutes for tantalum based components where possible.