Millions of people around the world are dependent on machines such as electric cars, computers, and mobile phones every day. Machines facilitate communication, work, and transportation. Without a small, shiny metal called cobalt, which extends the life of batteries and makes them valuable, all this is not possible.

Here we will be discussing how much cobalt is currently utilized in our everyday products, the role of the DRC in the international market of cobalt, and the enormous human and environmental cost of extracting this precious metal.

DRC’s Role in the Mineral Mining Industry

Democratic Republic of Congo is a major player in the international mineral economy. It has the most cobalt in the world, and is the biggest producer of the valuable mineral with over 70% of the world’s cobalt mined in the DRC which is such a high volume of cobalt mined, that the majority of batteries that power our smartphones, computers, electric vehicles and all other technology ultimately rely on cobalt mined in the DRC. 

However, the reliance on one country is in and of itself a monstrous issue. The DRC mining industry is in the middle of a larger complicated system full of political challenges, corruption and a lack of regulation which all contribute to the ethical and responsible conundrums associated with cobalt mining that much greater. With the increase in demand for the metal, the mining of the metal also has greater associated risks.

Journey of Cobalt

To learn just how valuable that cobalt is, it’s not a stretch to trace the path from the ground to your phone.

The Mining Process

Cobalt is embedded deep inside the Earth in a rock called ore. Miners dig very far under the Earth to reach the ore, in sometimes dangerous conditions. Most of the miners in the Democratic Republic of Congo work in small, illegal mines, referred to as “artisanal” mines, where few or no safety measures are taken.

Processing

After mining, the ore is processed to extract cobalt from other minerals. The process includes washing, grinding, and chemical treatment. All these procedures use poisonous chemicals that contaminate land and water in the area.

Manufacturing

Second, cobalt is purified into one shape that is without any impurities. The companies use pure cobalt to manufacture batteries that they sell to nations globally. They end up becoming part of devices and cars we use on a daily basis.

The Last Step

As we reach for our phones, we forget the intricate process that brought us to that small pellet of cobalt. But on every smartphone or electric vehicle is a tale of risk, injustice, and environmental cost.

The Dangers of Cobalt Production in the DRC

As cobalt drives innovation and powers the world’s transition to clean energy, its mining in the DRC comes at a price. The price to humanity from a wholesale cobalt manufacturer in DRC and the planet may not be obvious but it is definitely real.

Violations of Labor Rights

Possibly the most perilous problem of cobalt mining is abuse of the rights of workers. Employees work in dirty and toxic environments with insufficient protective gear. Cave-ins, carcinogenic dust, and hazardous machinery hang over their heads daily.

Children serve as child laborers in mines for long periods of time without safety in mind under hazardous conditions. Child labor is prohibited yet it occurs due to poverty and lack of regulation.

Most of the miners are undercompensated or not compensated at all despite risking their lives daily. Strong middlemen and large corporations at times exploit such miners, compensating them below decent wages while ignoring safety protocols. Exploitation guarantees a cycle of poverty and danger from which it is hard to recover.

Environmental Degradation

The environment is left in shambles deep within:

• Deforestation: Forests by the great acres are cut down to make space for mines, annihilating plant and animal life.
• Water Pollution: Poisonous chemicals that are lethal to human life are piped into land and rivers, polluting the water bodies of the locals.
• Soil Erosion: Soil is left bare when there is mining in process, causing erosion that can cause landslides and further devastation of the ecosystems.
• Loss of Biodiversity: When forests are cut down and contaminated, numerous species lose their homes, facing extinction.

These environmental destruction are not just risky for wildlife but also cause injury to neighboring populations relying on the land and water for survival.

Why Are These Costs Not Transparent?

Because of the expensive human and environmental cost, the true cost of cobalt mining is concealed from the ordinary consumer. Part of the reasons for such an invisibility are:

• Lack of Regulation: Weakly written and weakly enforced rules permit hazardous and illegal mining to dominate.
• Corruption: Officialdom and business people in some cases get bribes for ignoring the abuses, reducing the chances of putting them behind bars.
• Off-Book Mining: Most of the small miners are off-book and difficult to monitor and regulate.
• Limited Technology: Lack of such technologies like blockchain tracing or remote sensing makes it difficult to follow the cobalt back to its origin.
• Remote and Hazardous Mines: Most of the mines are in remote or danger zones, therefore poor monitoring and inspections are feasible.

Because of these conditions, cobalt producers and consumers alike have no idea what is being done with their cobalt. And so, such filth goes unreported, and the reality of the human and environmental cost goes underground.

The High Cost of Our Cobalt-Intensive Lifestyle

While cobalt sourced from a well-known cheap bulk cobalt distributor is necessary to energize equipment nowadays, manufacturing it in the DRC has horribly devastating consequences. Human fatalities, child labor, hazardous working conditions, exploitation, is abominable. The environmental cost, deforestation, pollution, degradation of the ecosystem, is equally intimidating.

We must realize that our technology’s benefits come at a cost. Knowing these costs allows us to call for better practices, invest in better companies, and advocate for reasonable and safe mining.

Conclusion

Cobalt from a trusted wholesale bulk cobalt supplier is a fundamental mineral that energizes our lives as it is today, but the path from the mines in DRC to our smartphones is one of danger and injustice. 

Moreover, the laborers work under dangerous conditions, children are used as laborers, and the environment is given an exorbitant price in terms that are irreplaceable. The human and environmental costs of cobalt extraction are typically masked by the shiny dream of technology.

Consider the next time you stuff a gadget into a pocket or recharge your electric vehicle, the cobalt odyssey and what each of us can do to make the trip safer and more equitable. Involvement with companies such as Bunia Metals Group is one of the means through which we’re reaching a greener, more equitable world for all.