The phrase "a contributory factor to" is correct and usable in written English.
It can be used when discussing elements that play a role in causing or influencing a particular outcome or situation.
Example: "The lack of funding was a contributory factor to the project's failure."
Alternatives: "a contributing factor to" or "a factor that contributed to".
He thinks radiation was, at most, a contributory factor to his father's death.
"After the heart attack, the doctors said that my long hours were a contributory factor to it.
Where and when a show is happening can be as much a contributory factor to the way it's received as the script, director and design.
This delay has directly affected the competitiveness of the UK steel industry and been a contributory factor to the current crisis".
If...It therefore looks possible that low-calorie artificial sweeteners are a contributory factor to the rising number of people who are obese.
Oxfam says the increasing appetite for sugar has gone largely unnoticed as a contributory factor to land grabs in the developing world.
The resolution says: "The absence of common international standards on the import, export and transfer of conventional arms is a contributory factor to conflict, displacement of people, crime and terrorism".
And do you also accept that a contributory factor to that may be that U.S. forces on the ground simply don't have enough experience of this sort of policing operation?
"To me, if you think that raping nine-year-old girls is wrong, it's wrong not to point out that the traditions concerning Muhammad might have a contributory factor to play.
But Mohammed Jafari, an adviser to Haj and Umrah Travel, the first hajj tour operator in the UK, claimed the alleged road closures were a contributory factor to the crush.
Having conceded that "invasive paparazzi hounding" had been a contributory factor to the death of Harry's mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, the Times returned to its criticism of royal aides.
