Last August, the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued disclosure requirements to bring a new level of transparency to raw materials supply chains. These requirements came into force for SEC registrants from 1 January 2013. Issued under the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC's new legislation on so-called 'conflict minerals' creates significant challenges for US-listed companies who manufacture products containing tin, tantalum, tungsten or gold. The SEC estimates around 6,000 companies will be directly impacted. However, with the legislation requiring companies to trace these minerals to the source, there are significant indirect impacts for companies that are suppliers to SEC registrants. Some estimates suggest that several hundred thousand companies could be affected globally. This will include many manufacturing companies across the UK and Europe.
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