A Call to Arms - demand for Coltan causes problems in Congo - Industry Trend or Event

Implementing such an embargo is easier said than done. One member of a large, well-respected nongovernmental organization, which he didn't want to name because it is preparing a report on the Congo, says his group is "in support of sanctions and the withdrawal of all troops from the DRC." But the difficulty, he says, "is to come up with sanctions on minerals such as coltan that don't have an impact on the people."

It remains to be seen whether high-tech companies would go along with a U.N.-backed embargo. An Alcatel spokeswoman, for example, says that "once it is voted by the Security Council and becomes a resolution, yes, we would abide by it." But Ericsson is not in favor of dumping suppliers just because they might use some products from the Congo. "If we found out our suppliers were getting tantalum from the Congo, we wouldn't kick them out, that would not help," says the company's Pellback-Scharp. "We would rather try to influence them" to stop doing business there. But, he adds, "If there was a huge international boycott, we would support it."

The demand for coltan is not going away. As global consumers continue to crave the newest cell phone and the latest computer, high-tech companies will continue to pay top dollar for tantalum capacitors, and their suppliers will continue to take tantalum from wherever it is available. Whether an unregulated industry can effectively police itself based on good faith and written assurances is questionable. But one thing is sure: The links between the cell phones and computers we use every day and the devastation taking place now in the Congo can no longer be ignored.

COPYRIGHT 2001 Standard Media International
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group