Assessing impacts of responsible sourcing initiatives for cobalt: Insights from a case study

Lucia Mancini, Nicolas A. Eslava, Marzia Traverso and Fabrice Mathieux

Resources Policy, 2021, vol. 71, issue C

Abstract: Used in e-mobility and electronics, batteries are key technologies in the decarbonisation of the economy and in accomplishing the aims of the European Green Deal. Cobalt is one of the materials used in lithium-ion batteries, and its extraction is a concern in terms of human rights abuses, child labour, and tragic working conditions particularly in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) which supplies around 60% of the world's supply, with a relevant share of Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM). Responding to these risks, some programs for the responsible sourcing of cobalt have been launched in recent years. Several policy initiatives at EU level aim to promote ethical sourcing of battery raw materials.

Keywords: Cobalt; Responsible sourcing; Artisanal and Small-scale Mining (ASM); Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); Social risk; Impact assessment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (11)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jrpoli:v:71:y:2021:i:c:s0301420721000325

DOI: 10.1016/j.resourpol.2021.102015

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