Confesses 'no way' for suppliers to be sure

The iPhone 4 -- and other Apple products -- should be free of so-called conflict minerals, says CEO Steve Jobs. In a recent article, the New York Times profiled the situation in the eastern Congo, where warlords may fund extremely violent campaigns by selling minerals to suppliers who build phones, cameras, computers and game systems. The situation echoes that of blood diamonds, which are coming under better though not complete control because of laws and certification.

"We require all of our suppliers to certify in writing that they use conflict few [sic] materials," writes Jobs in response to e-mail from a concerned buyer. "But honestly there is no way for them to be sure. Until someone invents a way to chemically trace minerals from the source mine, it’s a very difficult problem," the CEO claims.

This answer may not be satisfying for some, namely groups like the Enough Project, which protests against genocide and other humanitarian crimes. "Apple is claiming that their products don’t contain conflict minerals because their suppliers say so," noted director of communications Jonathan Hutson prior to Jobs' response. Enough has taken to protesting Apple directly in recent weeks, for instance by creating a parody video (below) and staging a demonstration at the opening of the first Washington, DC Apple Store.

by MacNN Staff