Political and social environments in other countries can quickly affect supply chains, so supply chain visibility is a must for organizations. This is a sentiment repeated so much that it can be easy to block out. But that isn’t so easy when regulations appear that force organizations to take a close look at their suppliers.

In December, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) proposed measures that will require publicly traded organizations to disclose whether their products contain conflict minerals sourced from the Democratic Republic of the Congo or any of its neighboring countries. These measures were mandated by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act. The SEC extended the comment period for the measures until March, but after that the measures could be implemented at any time.

Robert Bowman of SupplyChainBrain has an excellent analysis of the potential cost of adhering to the new measures and offers some ways that organizations can begin to establish compliance now. But it still boils down to visibility, and that is tied to close relationships between an organization and its suppliers.

What does your organization do to enhance its relationships with suppliers? If your organization will be affected by the SEC measures, how prepared is it to comply?