ABB Policy on Conflict Minerals

ABB is committed to:

• Identifying which ABB products are impacted and targeting our efforts accordingly
• Not buying products and materials containing Conflict Minerals directly from Conflict Mines (CAHRA's and the Covered Countries)    
• Working with our suppliers to ensure that any Conflict Minerals contained in the products and materials supplied to ABB originate from Conflict Free sources
• Contributing to conflict-free trade by encouraging our suppliers not to discriminate against legitimate sources of Conflict Minerals

In addition, we are committed to engaging with our customers regarding their disclosure obligations. 

Attachments

Background

In August 2012, the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued its final rules regarding Conflict Minerals (known as ‘3TG’ – Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten and Gold) as defined in and required by section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the Act). As a result, many companies are now focusing on whether and to what extent their products contain Conflict Minerals and whether such Conflict Minerals come from the Democratic Republic of Congo and the adjoining countries named in the Act.

Measures

In working towards these commitments, we have taken a number of steps that include:

• Establishing a “Conflict Minerals Compliance Program” supported and sponsored by ABB’s Executive Committee to review the use of Conflict Minerals in our products and to be in a position to fulfill our reporting obligations to the SEC and respond to customer inquiries
• Requiring our suppliers to implement a policy regarding Conflict Minerals and exercise due diligence to investigate the source of these minerals 
• Engaging with our suppliers so that they respond in a timely manner to our requests for evidence of compliance. In the future, our suppliers’ willingness to comply with this initiative will be a factor in our sourcing decisions 
• Updating the ABB Supplier Code of Conduct and our purchasing terms and conditions to reflect this policy

Like many other companies tracing Conflict Minerals, it will take time for a company of our size and complexity to collect the information needed for us to fully understand our use of Conflict Minerals and therefore be able to address all related customer concerns.