Mineral Statement

Consistent with our views on human rights, ethics, and the environment, our corporate social responsibility extends to our supply chain. We support the goals and objectives of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), which aims to prevent the use of conflict minerals that directly or indirectly finance or benefit illegal armed groups in The Democratic Republic of Congo and adjacent countries (together the “DRC countries”). Conflict minerals include tantalum, tin, gold, and tungsten or their derivatives and could expand to include any other mineral or their derivative determined by the U.S. Secretary of State to be financing the DRC conflict.

We expect our suppliers to source materials from socially responsible suppliers and comply with the Dodd-Frank Act. Our suppliers which have products that contain conflict minerals must demonstrate that they understand and support our commitment to have a supply chain that promotes the responsible trade of conflict free minerals outside of or within the DRC countries. As such, these suppliers will be required to provide written evidence that will enable us to determine that the conflict minerals contained in their products were sourced from providers that are conflict free.

 

In order to comply with the Dodd-Frank Act, we have adopted a conflict minerals policy and due diligence framework following guidelines suggested by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Furthermore, we will continue to work with our suppliers to determine the potential use of conflict minerals sourced from the DRC countries in their supply chain.