Lenovo ESG
Responsible Sourcing
Responsible Sourcing of Materials
Program Overview
A sustainable supply chain is important to Lenovo. Our supply chain social responsibility initiative’s objective is to retain an upstream supply chain of minerals for Lenovo hardware products that are responsibly and ethically sourced. Since Lenovo does not procure minerals directly from mines or smelters or refiners (SORs), we closely collaborate with our direct suppliers and companies farther up the global supply chain to meet our objective.
Sustainable supply chain is important to Lenovo. Lenovo is committed to protecting the communities in which we operate. Our supply chain social responsibility initiative’s objective is to retain an upstream supply chain of minerals for Lenovo hardware products that are responsibly and ethically sourced. Since Lenovo does not procure minerals directly from mines or smelters or refiners (SORs), we closely collaborate with our direct suppliers and companies farther up the global supply chain to meet our objective.
Since the passage of Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Act, Lenovo has focused on identifying the sources of tantalum, tin, tungsten, and gold (3TG) used in our hardware products. Our aim is to ensure that 3TG sources are conflict free, meaning they do not contribute directly or indirectly to armed groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and adjoining countries.
Lenovo’s responsible minerals standard is based on the framework of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas. We also work closely with the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) programs to conduct our responsible supply chain sourcing efforts for Reasonable Country of Origin Inquiry (RCOI) and Due Diligence (DD) efforts. The programs are internationally recognized and industry standard practices and act as the design framework of our conflict mineral program. Lenovo further broadens our supply chain social responsibility endeavor by including cobalt in our responsible minerals sourcing activities.
We participate in industry initiatives to create and deploy supply chain verification processes; such as: the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), the Conflict Minerals Reporting Template (CMRT), Cobalt Reporting Template (CRT), and the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP). Lenovo engages in due diligence with our direct suppliers of hardware parts on an on-going basis to share knowledge about the upstream supply chain, SOR status, and best practices. In return, we require our hardware suppliers to:
- Comply with all environmental laws and material content restrictions. Adhere to the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA) Code of Conduct
- Implement the RBA Code of Conduct (which include Conflict Minerals due diligence), conduct Audits with independent RBA approved 3rd party auditors and report Corrective Actions to ensure compliance
- Have a policy to not directly or indirectly finance perpetrators of human rights abuses
- Exercise due diligence on the source and custody of conflict minerals and to publicly report their efforts
- Cascade these requirements to upstream suppliers, and require them to comply with the RBA Code of Conduct
- Report status to Lenovo twice a year using the RMI CMRT and CRT
Responsible Sourcing of Materials
Lenovo’s objective is to use conflict-free 3TG in our products. We are working toward this goal with good results aided by the cooperation and coordination of our extended supply chain and other members of the RMI. This Conflict Minerals Report describes Lenovo’s work in the 2019 reporting period and our plans for achieving our objective in the future.
Responsible Sourcing for 3TG
Lenovo’s objective is to use conflict-free 3TG in our products. We are working toward this goal with good results aided by the cooperation and coordination of our extended supply chain and other members of the RMI.
Conflict-free, not Congo-free
While “conflict minerals” are directly linked to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, not all mining activity in the Congo is corrupted by non-state armed groups or human rights violations. We intend to be “DRC Conflict-Free,” not “DRC-free,” and therefore we support responsible sourcing from the Covered Countries in order to support peaceful economic activity in the region.
Following the guidance from OECD, Dodd-Frank and RBA to prevent the use of conflict free minerals contributing to conflict. Lenovo established strong management Systems and created a formal and public Conflict Minerals Policy and reporting system.
You can find our latest Conflict Mineral Report here. This report describes Lenovo’s work in the 2019 reporting period and our plans for achieving our objective in the future.
Lenovo statement and policy:
Responsible Sourcing for Cobalt
Lenovo recognizes that the risk of human rights abuses in the cobalt supply chain is significant in scope and affects a multitude of industries and other stakeholders. Lenovo is a formal member of the Responsible Materials Initiative (RMI) and the Responsible Business Alliance (RBA). We participate directly on the Cobalt workgroup whose efforts aim to drive responsible sourcing of Cobalt with a key focus in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In addition, Lenovo follows all laws in every region where we operate and we require our suppliers to be in full conformance with laws, rules and regulations in the countries in which they operate through our contracts and our Supplier Code of Conduct. Lenovo also places additional requirements that go beyond legal requirements on our suppliers such as the RBA Code of Conduct. Lenovo has numerous policies, practices and programs in place to mitigate risk, identify, and prevent human rights violations in the supply chain for Lenovo products. These efforts address child labor, health and safety, and human rights concerns. Lenovo is committed to transparency and publicly discloses all its policies and practices on its website and in annual reports.
- Lenovo Cobalt Policy
- Lenovo publishes a sustainability report annually, along with many other sustainability resources
- Lenovo Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
- Lenovo Human Rights Policy
Responsible Sourcing for Tin
Lenovo is concerned about the reported conflict, governance, and human rights risks related the Wa Region of Myanmar, and we acknowledges a number of tin smelters within China may be sourcing cassiterite from this region. While Lenovo does not directly source any tin from these areas, our supplier surveys indicate the presence of Tin from China smelters in our upstream supply chain.
Lenovo meets all legal requirements related to conflict minerals sourcing and disclosure requirements wherever our products are sold worldwide. We are committed to working towards sourcing only conflict-free minerals and using minerals only from smelters that have been audited and verified by CFSP or equivalent programs. Lenovo expects itself and its suppliers to be conflict-free.
- Lenovo Tin Policy
- Lenovo publishes a ESG report annually, along with many other ESG resources.
- Lenovo Anti-Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement
- Lenovo Human Rights Policy
Responsible Sourcing Contact
Following OECD guidance, Dodd-Frank and RBA to prevent the use of conflict free minerals contributing to conflict. Lenovo established a strong management system and a formal organization structure for Sustainability and Conflict Minerals. There was a Chief Sustainability Executive, a Director of Corporate CSR, an autonomous Global Operations program team and Procurement for execution of conflict minerals programs, actions and reporting.
We have a delegation team focusing on conflict minerals, working closely with RMI and the workgroup, educating internal procurement professionals and external suppliers, conducting outreach to smelters and refiners.
This team also provide an venue for suppliers and others to address concerns related to environmental issues, RBA issues or any other sustainability issues that cannot be resolved satisfactorily through normal business channels.
Responsible Sourcing Contact
Rita Yang - Lenovo China
yangrui8@lenovo.com
Zhuoran Xu - Lenovo China
xuzr5@lenovo.com
