Child Labor in the EV Supply Chain
‘Our daily lives are powered by a human and
environmental catastrophe in the Congo.’
Summary.
• Cobalt is a necessary metal for the lithium-ion batteries
used in electric vehicles (EVs). The majority of this
cobalt comes from Chinese-owned cobalt mines in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
• Thirty percent (30%) of cobalt from the DRC is mined by
non-industrial “artisanal” workers. “Artisanal” mining is a
euphemism for low-paid, subsistence miners and their
families, including children, living and working in brutal
and unsafe conditions.
• Many of the ultimate purchasers of the cobalt, including
EV and EV battery makers, belong to various industry
organizations supposedly working to ensure that the
supply chain does not include cobalt produced by child
labor. These organizations, however, have little actual
control or influence over the cobalt production. They
provide, in reality, little more than fig leaf reputational
protection for the EV industry.
• EVs have no environmental or economic justification.
• The EV supply chain relies on Communist China. So reliance on EVs endangers US
national security.
The EV industry depends on cobalt from the Congo.
• Cobalt is used in almost every lithium-ion rechargeable battery in the world. It is combined
with other metals to make cathodes, the positively charged part of the battery.
• In 2021, 111,750 tons of cobalt were mined in the DRC – 72% of global supply. This figure is
expected to increase as EV demand increase
https://junkscience.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/EV-Factsheet_NOV-Final.pdf
