Cobalt powers our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. It’s time for global action to end child labor and other toxic conditions in the mines.
The central African country, Congo, affects our daily lives like none other. While many may be surprised at this assertion initially, it is true. Cobalt, the most essential component to every rechargeable lithium-ion battery made today, is found and mined predominantly in the Congo.
Roughly 75 percent of the world’s cobalt supply comes from the Congo. This essential element powers our smartphones, tablets, laptops, and electric vehicles. Billions of people around the world cannot conduct their daily lives without it.
However, how many realize their comforts are thanks to the peasants and children who work daily in sub-human conditions in the Congo? Moreover, local miners operate in extremely hazardous and grinding conditions for a dollar or two a day.
As the world’s biggest cobalt producer, Congo is also home to some of the world’s most sought-after minerals. In fact, four-fifths of the world’s cobalt is found and over 70% of its global production takes place in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
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