Islands of responsibility? Corporate sourcing of artisanal cobalt in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Cobalt is an essential element within supply chains driving the technological transition to electric vehicles. A majority of the world’s estimated cobalt reserves are in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with 10–30% of Congo’s annual production mined artisanally. Much maligned environmental, social and human rights abuses within the artisanal sector are driving corporate efforts to “clean up” and derisk supply chains. It is imperative that these efforts align with the sustainable development priorities and needs of artisanal mining communities themselves. This issue paper gathers local perspectives on the priority changes needed to improve governance and investment in the sector.
Additional Info
- Author(s)
- E Umpula, A Buxton, B Schwartz
- Publication Year
- 2021
- Associated Partners
- Afrewatch
- Language
- English, French
- Publishing Institution Webpage
- https://pubs.iied.org/20436iied
- Data Source Classification
- Program Report
- Research Type
- Both
- Research Methodology
- Primary - INTERVIEW, Primary - OBSERVATION, Secondary - PREVIOUS RESEARCH, Secondary - OFFICIAL STATISTICS, Primary - ANECDOTAL
- Thematic Tags
- Political, Due Diligence, Traceability, and Transparency, Formalization, Governance, Large-scale Mining, Supply Chains, Economic, Access to Markets, Income, Market Linkages, Social, Child Labor, Community, Employment, Gender, Health and Safety, Human Rights, Labor and Working Conditions, Livelihoods, Modern Slavery, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence, Legal, Land Rights, Laws and Regulations, Licensing, Mineral Rights, Environmental
- Minerals
- Cobalt
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
- Country
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Last Updated
- September 28, 2021