US government includes Li-ion batteries in list of goods produced by child labour
“The information is out there for companies and consumers to leverage against regimes that promote and prop up exploitative labor practices,” Thea Mei Lee, deputy undersecretary for international affairs, wrote in theThe International Labor Organization estimates that 160 million child laborers and 27.6 million forced laborers are working in abusive conditions.
Children as young as six years old have been seen hoisting 80-pound bags containing cobalt ore over their heads and carrying them to processing facilities. They work up to 12 hours a day—24 hours if they are underground. “Due to the prevalence of child labor in mining this critical mineral, the Department of Labor placed cobalt, specifically referred to as ‘cobalt ore ,’ on its List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor in 2009. Over a decade later, child labor persists and is increasingly linked to the global supply chain of products made with cobalt, including lithium-ion batteries that power our smartphones, laptops, and electric cars,” the dossier states.
“The line of ownership is clear in the supply chain at this stage, as China owns or finances most cobalt mines in the DRC, and China imports almost 90% of its cobalt from the DRC,” the dossier notes. “Chinese companies use cobalt tainted with child labor to manufacture battery components, such as cathodes, which in turn are used to make lithium-ion batteries. Sources estimate that at least half of all cobalt ends up in rechargeable batteries.
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