Conflict Minerals Statement
Commitment
AMETEK is committed to support responsible sourcing practices. The AMETEK Responsible Minerals' program aligns to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance; as such, we aim to proactively identify risks and progressively eliminate those with concern to our supply chain. AMETEK conducts risk mitigation and due diligence appropriate to the nature of the risks as it pertains to our products, suppliers, or services.
Due Diligence
In alignment with Step 2 and 3 of the OECD Diligence Guidance, AMETEK continuously surveys its direct suppliers to verify the presence of Smelters of Interest (e.g. smelters or refiners that have shown red flag risks as per OECD Due Diligence Guidance).
The goal of the risk-based due diligence approach described above is to:
- Educate the supply chain of current risks and concerns.
- Support informed purchasing behaviours throughout the supply chain.
- Encourage suppliers to perform similar due diligence activities on their end.
AMETEK also engages with smelters in an effort to convey the importance of smelters undergoing independent audits to validate their sourcing as conflict-free or responsibly sourced. This due diligence outreach is performed in partnership with other companies who share the same commitments as AMETEK.
Disclaimer
AMETEK does not purchase minerals directly from mines, smelters, or refiners. Given the fact AMETEK is layers removed from upstream stakeholders, it is difficult to effectively influence their purchasing behaviours, especially within a short period of time.
Understanding
Declarations (CMRTs) look retrospectively at procurement; so, at the time a CMRT is provided, material from smelters may already be part of the supply chain and products. Therefore, requests for the immediate removal of a smelter of concern from the CMRT and supply chain may not be practical. This aligns with the intent of OECD Step 3: to equip and inform the supply chain regarding future purchasing decisions. The CMRT must accurately reflect past sourcing to support proper ongoing due diligence and to monitor changes over time.
Minerals and metals are durable goods, and standard industry practice may involve using goods purchased several months prior. Consequently, high-risk or inactive smelters may continue to appear on downstream CMRTs even if upstream suppliers no longer conduct business with these smelters. In many cases, this accurately reflects the continued downstream use of metal originally processed by these smelters, either before smelter risks were identified or before their operations ceased.
Due Diligence Partner
We partner with a third-party company, Assent to assist in our due diligence and compliance endeavors. Assent's Conflict Minerals due diligence program aims to identify and manage supply chain risks. It also helps gather, store, and validate conflict mineral data in accordance with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance.
For additional information, please read about AMETEK's Supplier Responsibilities or contact your AMETEK Business Unit representative directly.