Amnesty International is calling for greater transparency with regard to the possible use of cobalt linked to slavery and child labour in the manufacturing of electric cars. Determining whether a product contains a conflict mineral after the smelter stage is extremely difficult. The Washington Post has been investigating the use of cobalt in battery-dependent products including mobile phones and laptops. In a report published on Wednesday, Amnesty's Africa director, Tirana Hassan, said that there was evidence that some car makers were using cobalt-60 as an additive to their batteries. Over 50% of global cobalt production occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area strongly associated with “conflict minerals”.
Amnesty International is calling for greater transparency with regard to the possible use of cobalt linked to slavery and child labour in the manufacturing of electric cars. The Washington Post has been investigating the use of cobalt in battery-dependent products including mobile phones and laptops. In a report published on Wednesday, Amnesty's Africa director, Tirana Hassan, said that there was evidence that some car makers were using cobalt-60 as an additive to their batteries. Over 50% of global cobalt production occurs in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, an area strongly associated with “conflict minerals”.