Carmakers not monitoring cobalt labor abuses with EVs – study

Many auto companies aren't doing enough to monitor whether the cobalt in their electric vehicle batteries could be linked to child labor and other human rights abuses, according to a report released this week. The Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN), a sustainable trade nonprofit based in California, found that the auto sector as a whole did less than technology companies — another major buyer of cobalt — to identify, address and publish details on human rights risks associated with their supplies. At least five automakers performed "virtually no due diligence" on their cobalt supplies, including Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV and Toyota Motor Corp., according to the report. The group releases annual evaluations of corporate efforts to ensure mineral supplies originating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo aren't funding conflict or abuses. This year's was the first to consider cobalt, reflecting its growing profile as a component in electric vehicles.

The named companies have produced few all-electric options so far, noted Raphael Deberdt, lead author and mineral program associate at the RSN, though their apparent lack of due diligence remained "quite troubling." European carmakers, led by BMW and Daimler AG, generally performed better in the group's 14-company ranking. Tesla Inc., which said last year it would eventually phase out the use of cobalt in its batteries, came in behind Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co., since it had divulged little about its progress. "We want to push companies to publish more information, especially when there's no legal mechanism to make them accountable for due diligence," said Deberdt. Toyota and Tesla did not respond to questions from E&E News. A spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler said the company had not reviewed the report but added that it was "conscious of, and committed to, the safety and integrity of its global supply chain." Read Full Article - Energywire, October 11, 2019