The mineral trade in Eastern Congo has been singled out as a source of finance for armed conflict. An initiative, proposed by the industry, NGOs and national and international government organisations, has launched a pilot project intended to break that link.
The Dutch social enterprise “Fairphone” wants to use the tin in the production of its first telephone from there. Motorola and other big players in the industry are also taking part. While the objective is to guarantee that the tin ore is produced “conflict free”, working conditions remain an issue.