I remember that some companies (i think it was Nokia, but not sure) were questioned about where they acquire tantallum in the context of not supporting the civil war in Congo, which is rich in tallantum.
- With a commodity it is often difficult to determine. The w:Commodity markets often have a "laundering function", hiding the origin of illicit goods. The assumption must be that the tantallum is tainted until proven otherwise, given the Precautionary Principle and the incentive to hide the origins of this stuff.
Here is a seminar report on Economy, conflict and the private sector that mentions the tallantum extraction question
- Yes, we need a lot more about extraction questions generally, as that is where ecosystems are most affected, e.g. deforestation, erosion, etc.