Due Diligence
Empower purchasing decisions that mitigate harms and drive social and economic benefits throughout the automotive supply chain.
Essential Details
AIAG members and partners come together as a unifying force, leading progress on the responsible sourcing and processing of materials — within and beyond the automotive supply chain. Together with international efforts including the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), the AIAG Responsible Materials Work Group and our Smelter Engagement teams are helping activate critical due diligence steps.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
OECD is an international organization focused on shaping policies that foster prosperity, equality, opportunity, and well-being for all. Together with governments, policymakers, and civil society, OECD works on establishing evidence-based international standards and finding solutions to a range of social, economic, and environmental challenges. It provides a unique forum and knowledge hub for data and analysis, exchange of experiences, best-practice sharing, and advice on public policies and international standard-setting.
AIAG embraces the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas, and liaises with OECD to encourage everyone involved in the automotive supply chain to implement its human rights recommendations and to avoid contributing to conflict through purchasing decisions.
Get guide and related resources
OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI)
AIAG’s Responsible Materials Work Group and other industry groups collaborate on the RMI with the shared goal of understanding and mitigating critical social and environmental impacts of mineral extraction and processing, while improving social economic development.
RMI is considered a leading cross-industry conflict minerals/responsible minerals resource that works to develop valuable tools and training to help companies make sourcing decisions that improve regulatory compliance and support responsible sourcing globally. RMI resources include industry standard mineral reporting templates and the Responsible Minerals Assurance Process (RMAP). Members of RMI deploy one of the most complete Reasonable Country of Origin Information (RCOI) databases associated with RMAP-validated smelters and refiners.
Recommended steps:
Use RMI Material Reporting Templates
Refer to RMI’s active and conformant list to make sure you are using smelters who have shown (or are working to show) they are sourcing minerals responsibly
Partner with the Responsible Materials Work Group when additional due diligence actions are required
Consider a broader risk-based analysis of commodities to expand your responsible sourcing efforts
AIAG Smelter Engagement Team (SET)
The AIAG SET reaches out to smelters and refiners who are not on the RMI conformant or active lists, and encourages them to be assessed against the applicable RMAP standard or an equivalent widely-recognized assessment. Such assessments evaluate smelter/refiner due diligence systems in alignment with the OECD Due Diligence Guidance.
This outreach helps strengthen responsible sourcing of materials throughout the complex automotive supply chain. Smelter and refiner participation in RMAP helps identify and mitigate risk related to mineral extraction, and it provides an assurance that companies reported in mineral supply chains are not contributing to serious risks defined in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance. This effort also brings awareness to the many resources offered by RMI, including financial assistance and technical support provided to help smelters and refiners successfully reduce risk.
AIAG members with an RMI membership are eligible to participate in the AIAG Smelter Engagement Team. This includes conducting outreach to smelters and refiners to encourage pre-audit visits.