The Securities and Exchange Commission voted Wednesday to approve a rule requiring companies to disclose any conflict minerals they use to manufacture products, a measure that critics says will impose significant costs on companies.

The controversial regulation, which was mandated by Dodd-Frank, says companies must disclose their usage of tantalum, tin, tungsten and gold from the Democratic Republic of the Congo and surrounding African countries. The final version provides some leeway on recycled and scrap material, and gives companies until May 31, 2014, to file their first disclosure.

However, many have criticized the SEC for not fully assessing the cost of the measure.

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