COLTAN STATEMENT

Statement on coltan by the Deutsche Telekom Group

What is the problem with coltan ?

Deutsche Telekom became aware – like other ICT companies – that rebel groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which is affected by civil war, are financed among other things by illegal mining of coltan ore, causing irreversible und unacceptable damage to people and nature in this region in the process.

How does this affect Deutsche Telekom and what measures has the company implemented?

Deutsche Telekom buys neither coltan nor the metal – tantalum – that is derived from it as a raw material. However, as many of the products we sell or use contain tantalum, Deutsche Telekom intends to use whatever means it has to minimize and, in the long term prevent entirely, all damage caused to people and the environment in obtaining it.

The following measures have been taken to achieve this:

a)
We establish supplier relationships in such a way as to ensure that our suppliers actively confront the coltan problem. We will obtain information from our relevant top suppliers about the policy they operate on coltan. If no such policy is in place, Deutsche Telekom will implement suitable development measures to ensure that this is given suitable consideration by top suppliers.

b)
We encourage our suppliers to use alternatives Use of environmentally friendly materials is a core feature of Deutsche Telekom's procurement policy. In this context, we encourage our suppliers to seek alternatives to tantalum as well and contribute to minimizing the coltan problem in doing so.

c)
As a member, we support the Global e-Sustainability Initiative (GeSI) "Flora & Fauna International" with investigations The huge political, social and environmental relevance of the coltan problem means that strategies are necessary that call for a common course of action for our entire sector of industry.

Deutsche Telekom is therefore endeavoring to contribute to a lasting solution together with other global network operators and manufacturers. As co-founders of the Global e-Sustainability Initiative, which operates under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), Deutsche Telekom supports suitable Flora & Fauna International projects. Reports are published regularly on this subject on the GeSI homepage (www.gesi.org ).

What is tantalum/coltan and what is it used for?

Tantalum is obtained in South America, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and mainly in Australia. Coltan is the name of an ore in Africa made up of columbium and tantalum.
The metal tantalum is required to manufacture corrosion -resistant and high temperature resistant materials. Materials containing tantalite are used, for example, in consumer electronics such as cameras, video recorders, computers and cell phones.