In 2010, the US Congress expressed concerns that the purchase by US firms of “conflict minerals”. These minerals were  tantalum ore (coltan), tungsten ore (wolframite), tin ore (cassiterite), and gold that originated from the DRC or any adjoining country, from areas controlled by armed groups or that helped to finance the conflict. Section 1502 of the US Dodd-Frank Act requires companies publicly traded in the US to disclose any such minerals in their products or supply chains. The final Rule, adopted and released by the SEC on August 22, 2012, requires that if a company knows or has reason to believe that sourced minerals may have originated in the DRC or adjoining countries, then the company must undertake “due diligence” on the source and chain of custody of its minerals, subsequently have their due diligence efforts checked by a private sector audit, and finally, file a Conflict Minerals Report.

It is the Policy of Guardian International Gold to decline any transaction where our due diligence process determines or suspects that any metals that are part of a transaction or process, are Conflict-Minerals.