The European Commission is launching Due Diligence Ready!, an online portal that provides businesses with guidance on how to check the sources of the metals and minerals entering their supply chains – the so-called “due diligence” process. It will help them ensure that their use of raw materials respects human rights while improving transparency and accountability across their value chains.
Commissioner Elżbieta Bieńkowska, responsible for Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs, said: “Today, market demand for responsibly sourced raw materials is growing. These materials are essential to new business sectors and clean technologies like high-power batteries, and businesses should ensure that each step in the value chain is carried out in a transparent, responsible and sustainable way. I welcome the launch of Due Diligence Ready! which will help businesses make more informed choices.”
Due Diligence Ready!
Due Diligence Ready! will help businesses to:
- Improve their due diligence capacity of minerals’ sourcing.
- Facilitate compliance with the EU’s Regulation on Responsible Sourcing of Minerals.
- Respond to growing market demand for responsibly sourced minerals.
Background
Mineral resources hold great potential for our economy, especially for strategic business areas like batteries, high-performance computing or microelectronics. However, when mined in conflict-affected or high-risk areas, they can add to the continuation of violent clashes, human rights abuses. This has raised concerns among customers, suppliers, regulators, investors, non-governmental organisations and citizens who are increasingly asking companies, including small and medium businesses, to show that the minerals and metals entering their supply chains have not contributed to activities that harm people.
Leave a Reply