Intel promises not to use minerals that come from conflict zones

Intel CEO Brian Krzanich promised that none of the company’s chips that are manufactured this year will use minerals that come from conflict zones. Several of the minerals that are essential in today’s electronics come from conflict zones that are controlled by ruthless warlords and mined by people who are treated no better than slaves. 

Intel’s CEO made a bold promise that all of its chips made this year will be manufactured with conflict-free minerals. Conflict minerals are materials such as tungsten and gold, which are key to electronics, that are mined in places such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), raising ethical concerns about the treatment of people doing the work and the role of the industry in funding local warlords. Speaking at the first keynote of CES 2014, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said the chip maker had been working for four years to track the minerals it uses, following the materials through the supply chain to ensure those it buys aren’t coming at a human cost.