The audit as part of the "Conflict-Free Smelter" program, jointly supported by the EICC and the Global E-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI), is a voluntary commitment by PLANSEE and an important verification for the electronics industry. It serves as independent proof for the company and its customers that the use of conflict tantalum is renounced. These are materials which are mined mainly in the Democratic Republic of Congo and adjoining countries under sub-human conditions and which contribute to the financing of wars.  

Conflict-free tantalum is an important raw material for PLANSEE. It is especially processed in products for the electronics industry, chemical industry and in applications for medical diagnostics. Both in the consumer electronics as well as in modern communication devices like cell phones, tantalum capacitors are a key electronic component.

Well-known electronics companies and their suppliers are members of the "Conflict-Free Smelter" program. The Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (http://www.eicc.info/) is an independent organization that, together with the Global Sustainability Initiative GeSI (http://www.gesi.org/), supports companies looking for more transparency in the procurement of raw materials and to applying common industry standards for ethical business practices.