Apple says it has told suppliers to stop buying minerals from Congo

Reuters

17 December 2024 at 4:38 pm·1-min read

FILE PHOTO: An artisanal miner washes tin ore before it is bagged up and weighed, ready to be transported to the nearest major town for export in the Kalimbi tin mine near the small town of Nyabibwe

(Reuters) - Apple on Tuesday said it strongly disputes allegations that it uses conflict minerals in its products and told suppliers earlier this year to stop purchasing those minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.

In a statement to Reuters, Apple said it told its suppliers their smelters and refiners must stop buying tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold from the two countries as conflict in the region has escalated.

Apple's statement came in response to a criminal complaint filed earlier in the day against the company in France and Belgium, where the Congolese government alleged Apple uses conflict minerals laundered through international supply chains.

(Reporting by Stephen Nellis in San Francisco; Editing by Chris Reese)

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