Conflict Mineral Free Pledge

I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I recieved an email from Nintendo in responce to my "Take Conflict out of your Products" pledge email. Although it wasn't a personal responce, Nintendo was the only one of the 21 companies that bothered replying at all. Other companies included Dell, Canon, Panasonic, Blackberry, Motorola and Intel.

I pledged with a campaign called "Enough!" on raisehopeforcongo.org:

Help us increase demand for conflict-free electronics. Urge the 21 biggest electronics companies to make their products conflict free. The message is clear: “If you take conflict out of your cell phone, I will buy it.”


This is the message I sent:

To Whom It May Concern,

I know that many, many people- with the number is growing daily as the word spreads, and people are becoming educated on the topic- would be far more likely to buy your products if they were garunteed Conflict-free. It is no longer about who can make the cheapest products, that's not at the top of my worries anymore. No price is too much, if I am garunteed that there was no rape, slavery or torture in the making of the product. And I'm not the only one, everyday people are becoming more and more aware of these global issues; no one wants to support those causes. I challenge you to help create a better future for your company and for our world by making conflict-free products. This is the future!

Sincerely,
Lisa Odland



and here was Nintendo's responce:


On behalf of Nintendo I appreciate the opportunity to respond. Nintendo does not purchase any metals as raw materials. As a remote purchaser that buys finished components made from many materials, Nintendo requires its suppliers to comply with its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Procurement Guidelines, which stipulate suppliers comply with applicable laws, have respect for human rights, and conduct their business in an appropriate and fair manner.

Sincerely,
Dervin Camden
Nintendo of America Inc.


That was quite nice to read, but I can't understand why out of the 21 companies only Nintendo bothered to respond, does that mean the others have nothing good to say about the topic on behalf of their company?

Watch a Congo conflict mineral video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aF-sJgcoY20

If that video was enough for you to want to take action, then you can learn more, or sign the pledge at http://www.raisehopeforcongo.org/action/commit-purchase-conflict-free-cell-phones-laptops-and-other-electronics.

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