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Research from The Enough Project places House of Mario behind Apple, Microsoft, Sony in reporting, acting on procurement of materials from Congo.
Nintendo has come in last in a survey of efforts to investigate "conflict minerals" in electronics industry giants for the second year in a row. The Enough Project's ranking of 24 companies placed Apple in 9th place, Microsoft in 10th, and Sony in 17th. Each company was rated on its compliance with international standards and efforts to clearly identify and hold accountable suppliers of the minerals used in consumer electronics, many of which are extracted in Congo amid armed violence and human rights violations.
The Enough Project's rankings alleged that Nintendo has been unresponsive to its outreach and "has not undertaken any known efforts to investigate its supply chains." Nintendo and Taiwanese phone-and-tablet manufacturer HTC were the only two companies to not give any comment in the report's detailed responses section.
Nintendo responded to the rankings in a statement to GameSpot, saying the company audits its practices and those of its suppliers. Nintendo began outlining its procurement guidelines in 2008. "We expect that our production partners comply with these guidelines, which are based on relevant laws, international standards, and guidelines that focus on protecting human rights, ensuring workplace safety, promoting corporate ethics, and safeguarding the environment," Nintendo said.
While Nintendo's most recent corporate social responsibility report says the company asks its production partners to respond to regular surveys and undergo on-site inspections, it does not reference specific binding agreements. By comparison, Microsoft's 2011 citizenship report explicitly stated its suppliers must follow a vendor code of conduct.
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