CIF Mineração S.A.’s MIBRA mine is one of the largest industrial tantalum mines in the world. H.C. Starck has locked in the majority of MIBRA’s production for the next two years.
“Thanks to this agreement, we have secured a continuous supply of conflict-free tantalum raw materials for our company,” said Dr Andreas Meier, President & CEO of the H.C. Starck Group.
H.C. Starck has also entered into a number of supply agreements with other established mines during the past few months. The company says that it intends to remain completely independent of suppliers from conflict regions over the long-term. “H.C. Starck decisively condemns all activities related to the illegal or unlawful exploitation of mineral deposits, regardless of where these activities occur,” said Dr Meier. In early April this year, the Electronics Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) has certified H.C. Starck’s tantalum supply chain free of conflict materials.
The company is also looking at recycling in order to not run short of metal supplies. “We not only process ore concentrates, but also recycle increasing amounts of secondary raw materials,” said Dr. Meier.
