Our Actions | ACER ESG
Our Actions
Responsible minerals sourcing continues to be a major focus for Acer. We believe that it is our responsibility to respect the human rights of others and to address adverse human rights impacts that exist where we do business and within our area of influence. As a program that began with a focus on tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold (3TG) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Acer’s Responsible Minerals Sourcing program has expanded to a program capable of addressing any minerals identified by Acer that involve social and environmental risks.
Priority Mineral Survey and Action
Acer has established Responsible Minerals Due Diligence and Reporting Procedure and Responsible Minerals Risk Management Plan, which are reviewed and updated annually and serve as internal guidelines for the management of responsible mineral sourcing. In 2025 Acer’s responsible minerals sourcing program included 3TG, aluminum, cobalt, copper, graphite, lithium, mica and nickel as prioritized minerals in its responsible sourcing strategy. These determinations are based on the prevalence in our products and the sourcing from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas (CAHRAs). Acer will continue to reassess its priority minerals as well as be involved in the refining of the procedures to identify CAHRAs. In 2025, Acer issued its 14th consolidated responsible minerals report, outlining the steps taken to conduct due diligence on all of its priority minerals.
2025 Due Diligence Results
Tantalum, Tin, Tungsten and Gold
As a result of our responsible minerals due diligence measures and the collection of supply chain
information for the current 2025 data cycle, we were able to identify 220 unique smelters of 3TG in our supply chain, 96% of which were either conformant to or participating (i.e., RMAP-committed) in a third party certification mechanism. In 2025, the compliance status of some smelters faced the expiration of their certification in the second half of 2025, posing challenges to the industry supply chain. We continued to actively communicate with suppliers, urging them to implement corrective actions or propose appropriate risk mitigation and alternative arrangements for the relevant smelters to ensure continued compliance.
Cobalt and Mica
As part of its responsible minerals program, cobalt and mica continue to be an additional focus for Acer due to the child labor associated with cobalt mining, the environmental and social impacts of mining and processing mica, and the necessity of these minerals to the functionality of Acer batteries, hard drives and external coatings. In 2025, Acer set a goal for its cobalt processors to achieve a conformant or participating rate of 75%. As a result of its due diligence measures in 2025, Acer was able to identify 80 unique cobalt refiners in its supply chain. The RMAP status improved to 62 RMAP-conformant, 5 participating and 13 that will require outreach, reaching a conformant or participating rate of 84%, thereby exceeding its goal.
For mica, Acer was able to identify 28 unique mica processors, of which 6 are conformant, and 22 require outreach.
Other Minerals
In 2025, Acer began measuring several additional minerals as a result of its updated priority minerals
assessment described above. The additional minerals include aluminum, copper, graphite, lithium, and nickel, covering
a total of 24 aluminum smelters, 70 copper smelters, 23 lithium smelters, and 39 nickel smelters.
Other Activities
Acer also continued using the Risk Readiness Assessment (RRA 3.0) tool, jointly developed by the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and the Copper Mark. The RRA covers 33 environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria and is applicable to companies across mining, metal processing, manufacturing, and recycling, regardless of mineral type. The tool enables comparison of ESG performance among suppliers, smelters, and mines, strengthening our ability to assess and manage mineral supply chain risks. In addition, it enhances supply chain transparency, facilitates upstream and downstream communication, and further reinforces understanding and advancement of ESG requirements and the value of RMAP conformance. At the time of the writing of this report, Acer has received 222 RRAs.
Acer Smelter Statistics (3TG)
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conformant | 238 | 227 | 228 | 214 | 208 |
Participating Smelters | 24 | 17 | 5 | 5 | 3 |
Smelters Requiring Outreach | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 9 |
Total | 262 | 244 | 235 | 219 | 220 |
Percentage of Conformant Smelters | 91% | 93% | 97% | 98% | 95% |
Percentage of Conformant or Participating Smelters(DRC conflict free) | 100% | 100% | 99% | 100% | 96% |
Acer Smelter Statistics (Cobalt)
| 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Conformant | 23 | 33 | 45 | 48 | 62 |
Participating Smelters | 15 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Smelters Requiring Outreach | 24 | 20 | 18 | 13 | 13 |
Total | 62 | 62 | 69 | 67 | 80 |
Percentage of Conformant or Participating Smelters(DRC conflict free) | 61% | 68% | 74% | 81% | 84% |
Acer continues to follow the OECD Due Diligence Guidance as the basis for its conflict minerals management program and seeks to implement program elements that strengthen Acer’s conformance to those guidelines. We also continue to conduct smelter outreach and communicate smelter details and the results of our efforts to the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) Smelter
Engagement Team (SET), as we believe the smelter/refiner identification and disposition are critical components of our due diligence procedure and of maintaining RMAP smelter data. The SET reorganized in 2025 to enhance support for smelter facilities under the RMAP by improving SET participation and improving smelter onboarding and retention. Acer is a member of the recently reorganized SET-Onboard team and assists with identifying facilities, gathering necessary facility information, and determining eligibility for the RMAP program.
Acer continued its involvement in the PPA, a multi-sector and multi-stakeholder advocacy group that aims to publicize the issue of conflict minerals in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the African Great Lakes Region and propose supply chain solutions. In November of 2025, Acer attended the fourteenth annual multi-stakeholder membership meeting and was among 17 attendees. Due to the changes in the political landscape, the U.S. government’s participation in related matters has been adjusted, and together with personnel changes within the secretariat, the membership gathered to discuss the status of the organization, leadership transition, potential future funding proposals, public sector engagement plans and the overall strategic direction of the organization along with setting some key near-term next steps. The group discussed the evolving value proposition of the
organization and remained committed to exploring new opportunities so the organization can move forward.
Acer continues to believe that working together as an industry and in partnership with all stakeholders is the most efficient way to enable success at driving meaningful improvement in the social and environmental conditions associated with raw materials extraction.
