Who wants to build batteries for e-cars needs cobalt - at least in the current state of battery technology. The raw material is mainly extracted as a by-product of nickel and copper mining. The mineral is extremely unevenly distributed across the globe: the crisis-ridden Democratic Republic (DR) Congo, Australia and Cuba together account for more than 70 percent of the known reserves.
For the promotion in the DR Congo there have always been discussions. There was talk of child labor, of catastrophic safety at work. Experts from the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) have now visited more than 50 mines in the copper and cobalt provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba for a study. In an interview, expert Philip Schütte presents the results.
SPIEGEL: Under what circumstances is cobalt mining going on in the DR Congo?
Philip Schütte: Most of the Congolese cobalt is mined in industrial mining. This is done through various large, international companies, which generally comply with worldwide regulations. However, about 10 to 20 percent is also accounted for by small-scale mining. And that can bring massive problems.
SPIEGEL: What's exactly wrong?
Schütte: For the most part, small-scale mining is illegal, partly in the field of industrial mines. The miners graze under extremely unsafe conditions. Since deep tunnels are dug, the danger of collapse is high. Often people die. In addition, the miners in the illegal mines are poorly paid, often well below the minimum wage. The is in the DR Congo anyway only about four dollars a day. The miners are exploited by middlemen. These are often Chinese, Indians or Lebanese.
SPIEGEL: There is also legal small-scale mining. Are there better conditions there? Or is there simply a public agency employee holding out his hand?
Schütte: If you consider small-scale mining as something bad per se, you make it too easy. There are jobs and income prospects for more than 100,000 miners and their families. If things go well, the miners organize themselves in designated areas and a government official checks the health and safety regulations. So far the theory.
SPIEGEL: And the practice?
Schütte: The industrial mining companies have long since secured the fillets in the mining areas. The small mining areas designated by the Congolese state, on the other hand, are almost all in unattractive geological formations. That's why the miners do not go there. Instead, it prefers illegal promotion to the claims of large companies.
SPIEGEL: How widespread is child labor?
Schütte: The topic occupies a large space in media coverage and in the work of NGOs. There are often dramatic numbers. But we found out that child labor is not quite as common as it would have been. You also have to look at each individual case to see exactly what children are doing in a mine. The fact that they are present does not automatically mean that they also have to do heavy work.
"They push the people around in the mines"
SPIEGEL: You could say that children in a mine generally have lost nothing.
Schütte: You can see it that way. But sometimes they also accompany their parents, who earn their living in the mine. Whether children work for themselves depends in the end above all on the acute need for money of the family. And that can change daily. The mines are often in or near the residential areas. We are quite happy when it comes to at least not serious forms of child labor.
SPIEGEL: What does that mean?
Schütte: According to the definition of the International Labor Organization ILO, this would be the case, for example, when children work underground directly on the mining front. Of course, the health risks are particularly high there. Or if they have to transport heavy ore sacks. If, on the other hand, the children pick up or sort pieces of ore at the mines above ground, often alongside their parents, that is a bit less dramatic for us. Of course that's not good, but not as problematic as other forms of child labor.
SPIEGEL: How many times have you noticed something like this?
Schütte: Together with our Congolese project partners, we examined 58 mines. In one case we saw 120 children who had to do hard labor. In another mine, we saw four teenagers transporting ore sacks. On the other 56 mines visited, a total of about 2,500 children were present or involved in lighter activities, but not in the sense of severe child labor.
You might also be interested in
SPIEGEL: What can an inspection team actually hear about the processes in a mine?
Schütte: If we drive on a mine, with a review team, then something will always escape us. The risk is there that we do not see the worst things. To minimize the problem, we have worked with the Congolese Mining Authority and with a local NGO, the Carter Center. They know each other locally. And they made sure that we did not come up with quite a big bow wave to get the chance for a realistic look.
SPIEGEL: In the mines, your inspectors found a noticeable number of military and police personnel. What were they doing there?
Schütte: Nothing! Military and intelligence workers, for example, work as bodyguards for commodity traders, for example from China, and push people around in the mines. Human rights violations are not excluded. This is a delicate topic and something companies need to focus on.
"The Congo is too attractive as a cobalt promoter to give it up"
SPIEGEL: Are these people more likely to be found in large or small mines?
Schütte: That seems to be independent of the size of the mines. In 60 percent of the mines we visit, we've found representatives of state authorities who do not really belong there - unlike, for example, the Congolese Mine Police or the Mining Authority.
SPIEGEL: International customers have been familiar with the problems in the Congo for years. Why do not you just give up on Cobalt from there?
Schütte: Some companies are indeed going that route. However, the other mining areas, for example in Australia or Russia, are not enough to cover all their needs. The Congo is responsible for more than 60 percent of world funding. And this share will rise rather than fall in the future, because the geological conditions in the country are so good. The Congo is too attractive as a cobalt conveyor to give it up. So you have to think about how to make the cobalt reference from the Congo more responsible.
FEDERICO SCOPPA / AFP
"Now we hope for cobalt on further successes"
SPIEGEL: And how can you do that?
Schütte: There are, for example, OECD standards on due diligence in the supply chain. There minimum standards are defined, such as the renunciation of the most severe forms of child labor. The illegal presence of government services is not allowed. If companies implement this, then they can also get involved in the Congo. This is a better solution than simply avoiding the Congo.
SPIEGEL: What has your work done so far?
Schütte: The Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources has been working together with other partners for ten years as part of development cooperation in the DR Congo. We work with national and international partners. In tin, tantalum and tungsten mining, this has already brought visible progress. Certification, mine inspections, better traceability of raw materials have made the sector cleaner. The share of raw materials used for conflict financing has declined significantly here. Now we hope for cobalt on further successes.