In 2010, the U.S. Congress passed the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the ‘Act’), following which the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the ‘SEC’) issued rules requiring reporting companies to make disclosures concerning the use of Conflict Minerals – defined in the Act as tantalum, tin, tungsten (and the ores from which they originate) and gold. Conflict Minerals originating from the DRC region of Africa have been linked to severe human rights abuses and the raising of funds for violent and illegal purposes.