Apple denied the Democratic Republic of Congo's claims over alleged use of conflict minerals, stating it had suspended earlier in 2024 sourcing certain minerals from the DRC and Rwanda due to difficulties in ensuring ethical sourcing and highlighting its reliance on recycled materials, the company said in a statement issued to the media.
"As conflict in the region escalated, earlier this year we notified our suppliers that their smelters and refiners must suspend sourcing tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from the DRC and Rwanda," the statement read.
The DRC on Tuesday filed criminal complaints against Apple in France and Belgium, alleging the tech giant's complicity in the use of conflict minerals sourced from Congolese mines linked to human rights abuses, lawyers for the Congolese government told a UK media outlet.
The DRC's legal action against Apple comes amid the ongoing conflict, which is, according to the UN reports, fueled by mineral extraction in the east of the country, and focuses on ITSCI, a mineral traceability scheme used by Apple, which Congo argues is ineffective and allows for the laundering of conflict minerals, the report noted.
The Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), of which Apple is a member, reportedly suspended ITSCI in 2022 due to concerns about its reliability and failure to address violence in key mining areas. Despite this, Apple continued to reference ITSCI in its conflict minerals reporting, leading Congo to allege deceptive practices.
The French and Belgian judicial authorities will decide whether to launch investigations, the report added.