Student rails against conflict minerals

College junior Benjamin Brockman saw a chance to make a difference and acted on it.

The conflict in the Congo that has continued since 1998 and led to projected deaths of around six million may be funded indirectly by cell phone purchases, Brockman said.

“Many of the armed groups get their funds through the sale and taxation of minerals,” he said. And many of these minerals, such as tin, tungsten, tantalum and gold, are used in devices that almost every Penn student has — such as cell phones and computers.

Since Penn is a large purchaser of technological goods, these funds could really help the cause — so Brockman reached out to student government, the Provost’s Office and the University Council to inform them of conflict mining.

“He brought the issue to our attention,” director of Sustainability for Business Services Laurie Cousart said. Together, Penn Purchasing Services and Brockman have “talked about different options, how we could make a more comprehensive policy,” Brockman said.

According to Brockman, finding a policy is difficult because it is not easy to isolate those minerals that are useful to the armed groups. The minerals are mined, then traded by either illegal or legal means and exported or smuggled to smelters in South East Asia, where all minerals are mixed together by smelters. When U.S. companies purchase minerals, they purchase from the smelters.

In order to solve this problem, Congress is drawing up legislation that “requires major companies to audit their supply chains,” he said.

“This is a complicated issue,” Cousart said. But she understands that “if people who purchase large amounts of electronics decide to take up the issue, they have the power to influence … the manufacturers.”

There are about 45 colleges currently considering the issue. Students at Stanford University have been working to affect the investment policy. At Penn, changes are being made on the purchasing end — which Brockman believes is the first of its kind — and will monitor and reach out to companies.

The problem is further complicated since a simple embargo would not solve the issue. Brockman would like to advocate “a system where the proceeds … go to the development of the Congo.”

Penn’s responsible purchasing will not cost any more than non-responsible purchasing, since price changes will be industry-wide, Cousart said. Brockman estimated that the average increases will be about a penny per device.

Although some companies have been “dragging their feet for the issue,” Brockman is hopeful that companies will “want to do what’s right.”

However, doing what’s right may no longer be in the hands of the companies. Through last year’s Dodd-Frank Bill, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission is developing a system to audit the supply chain from both ends and determine which smelters should be avoided.

“Like many others, we are watching to see” what can be done, Cousart said.

Brockman believes our changes can affect the situation in the Congo “if it’s done right.”

But for now, Brockman wants to raise awareness and get the information out, since any student who purchases a cell phone or computer could indirectly fuel the conflict in the Congo.

Cousart recognizes this is a chance for the administration “to address concerns like those raised by students such as [Brockman].”

This is another example, she said, of when “a student gets involved in something, brings something they’ve learned to the administration.”

Brockman may have brought the issue to the administration and student groups, but now his group, Penn Society for International Development, is working with other student minority groups around campus to raise awareness and continue to do what they can to help the Congo.

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