"Digging for Disclosure", 2 March 2021

[...] [Global Witness'] new report sets out our analysis of publicly available supply chain due diligence information and reporting published by 75 tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold (3TG) smelters and refiners operating in mainland Chinese territory, Hong Kong and Macau or controlled or owned by mainland Chinese nationals. Chinese smelters and refiners were singled out for this research as they represent the largest block of 3T smelters from one country or region and as China itself is by far the largest producer of gold, tin and tungsten globally. The review was conducted for the period 1 January 2015 to 30 November 2018. All entities included in this analysis were participating in at least one industry-led responsible mineral supply chain programme, during all or part of the review period. [...]

Key findings

• Fourteen smelters and refiners (19%) did not publish any due diligence information at all;
• Only four entities (5%) published all three components of supply chain due diligence disclosure: a policy, an annual report and an audit (summary) report as required by the OECD Guidance. Two of those were foreign-owned subsidiaries;
• Nineteen smelters and refiners (25%) did not publish a due diligence policy, but did publish some other form of due diligence information;
• Fifty-seven entities (76%) did not publish a supply chain due diligence report;
• Fifty-five (73%) did not publish a summary of the audit report.
• Where supply chain reporting was publicly available, the reports were generic, lacking descriptions of specific supply chain incidents, human rights risks identified or measurable indicators of risk management performance.

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