Branding Raw Material to Improve Human Rights: Intel’s Ban on Conflict Minerals

Publications

Suggested Citation

Osburg, T. (2016). Mit dem Branding von Rohstoffen zu einer besseren Welt: Intel verbannt Konfliktmineralien. GfK Marketing Intelligence Review, 8(1), 36-41

Read whole article

Year

2016

Authors

Dr. Thomas Osburg

Publication title

Branding Raw Material to Improve Human Rights: Intel’s Ban on Conflict Minerals

Publication

NIM Marketing Intelligence Review

Thomas Osburg

Many companies seek to take over more responsibility for their supply chain and their raw materials. Intel was one of the first companies investigating the origin of conflict minerals like tin, tantalum, gold or tungsten, which are used in many electronic products. Their path to ultimately offering conflict-free microprocessors took more than five years of consistent preparation and intensive reengineering of the business process. They identified smelters as a bottleneck in the supply chain and started cooperating closely with them to trace their minerals’ supply. By developing a bag-and-tag system the company is now able to ensure that their minerals are not sourced from illegal mines, which often finance illegal warlords, for example, in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The cooperation with the smelters brings about higher demand and in consequence higher prices for the legally sourced minerals. Many small miners and their families in the region directly benefit from the higher earnings.

Authors

Dr. Thomas Osburg, Director Europe Corporate Affairs, Intel GmbH, Feldkirchen/München, tho@thomasosburg.com

Share Publication

Copy link

Here you can find more exciting articles of this issue.

To the entire issue

Business value and social or environmental values can go hand in hand. If companies not only create socio-environmental value by caring …

Social initiatives that make a difference for the consumers are able to win consumers’ hearts and build close and lasting relationships.

CSR activities such as charitable giving, environmental programs and ethical practices can motivate frontline employees. One of the key …

Leading companies succeed in creating social value at the same time as generating economic returns...

Doing good does not necessarily imply doing well for a company. Ironically, in the case of green products it can even be quite the contrary.

Being one of the biggest and most successful players in the chocolate business, there is no way around the topic of responsibility for …

Certain strategies can help minimize the gap between consumers’ willingness to purchase items and their moral standards in respect to fai...

Scroll to top

Other articles of the MIR issue “Responsible Marketing”