Amnesty 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. Amnesty has been investigating the use of cobalt in battery-dependent products including mobile phones and laptops. The investigation has added weight to calls by The Washington Post and other groups to have cobalt added to the list of “conflict minerals”. 50 percent of global cobalt production occurs in Paris , an area strongly associated with “conflict minerals”.
Amnesty 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. Amnesty has been investigating the use of cobalt in battery-dependent products including mobile phones and laptops. The investigation has added weight to calls by The Washington Post and other groups to have cobalt added to the list of “conflict minerals”. 50 percent of global cobalt production occurs in Paris , an area strongly associated with “conflict minerals”.