Child Labor Unearthed at the Heart of the Battery Supply Chain

Ten percent of cobalt produced and used by technology and mining companies relies on child labor and worker exploitation

Wired UK
Ten percent of cobalt produced and used by the world's largest technology and mining companies relies on child labor and worker exploitation.
Ten percent of cobalt produced and used by the world's largest technology and mining companies relies on child labor and worker exploitation.

Jan. 19, 2016—Ten percent of cobalt produced and used by the world's largest technology and mining companies relies on child labor and worker exploitation, a new report has claimed.

Amnesty International and the African Resources Watch (Afrewatch) said in a joint investigation that 20 percent of cobalt exported from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)—which produces half the world's supply—was extracted by small-scale operations with virtually no oversight.

Used in lithium-ion batteries, cobalt is an essential part of every mobile gadget sold around the world. Though most cobalt is mined by major industrial companies, a significant amount is still crudely extracted by hand and mixed into the main supply chain before being used by major technology firms, according to the report.

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