Child Labor Powering Green Tech – DW – 05/23/2025
Almost 75% of global production comes from the Democratic Republic of Congo - where there are also children toiling away in the mines.
Image: NZZ Format
Cobalt is a component in batteries for cell phones, EVs and e-bikes, but it's also used in medical technologies and aircraft construction. Around three-quarters of the world's supply of this coveted metal currently comes from the DRC in Central Africa. Kolwezi is known as the country's cobalt capital. Industrial mines, like those operated by Swiss multinational Glencore and Chinese firms, are found here alongside illegal sites where hundreds of thousands of people hack the metal out of the ground with their bare hands.
Image: NZZ Format
Human rights organizations like Amnesty International and Save the Children estimate that tens of thousands of minors work in these illegal cobalt mines. In protest, activists have repeatedly called for a boycott on cobalt from the DRC. To what extent is child labor a factor in cobalt production today, and what can consumers do to combat it? What about corporate responsibility? Are companies doing enough to ensure the cobalt they're using hasn't been mined by a child?
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