Unjust transitions to low carbon economies: reflections on stakeholder capitalism and responsible cobalt supply chains

Joanne Lebert and Raphael Deberdt

Chapter 14 in Research Handbook on International Corporate Social Responsibility, 2023, pp 205-223 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: As the transition away from fossil fuels is requiring immense amounts of ‘green’ minerals, extractivism in the Congolese Copperbelt is on the rise. The region provides 70 percent of the world’s cobalt with a significant part originating in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) sites with little to no technological tools. In the chapter we argue that corporate actors engage with the region’s ASM sector under the guise of a narrative promoting stakeholder capitalism and the integration of all involved in the extraction and trade of cobalt. However, we highlight the flawed perception of inclusion that such a strategy led to, with Congolese voices (and in particular ASM operators) largely excluded from responsible sourcing decision-making processes. Devised as a top-down stakeholderism, this approach is doomed to fail. In this chapter we provide avenues to enhance responsible cobalt sourcing and ensure that the model of stakeholder capitalism effectively and productively integrates Congolese perspectives.

Keywords: Business and Management; Economics and Finance; Environment; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781802207040.00020 (application/pdf)
Our link check indicates that this URL is bad, the error code is: 503 Service Temporarily Unavailable

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:21263_14

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com
sales@e-elgar.co.uk

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Darrel McCalla (darrel@e-elgar.co.uk).