In her report, Baumann-Pauly, who also directs the new Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights at the University of Geneva, cites as an example a formalization pilot project at Mutoshi overseen by Trafigura, a large Swiss-based commodity trading firm that has a significant commercial presence in the DRC. Within the mines a formalized process will help to establish safety standards and a system to apply them-measures, for example, that would limit the depth of pits and provide protective equipment. This will help ensure that children don’t gain access to the mines and encourage local authorities to provide them access to decent schools.
More than 70% of all cobalt mining globally takes place in the DRC, and most of the known reserves are there as well. If companies intend to source cobalt from the DRC, they need to commit to addressing child labor and mine safety as business priorities.īaumann-Pauly urges companies to help formalize artisanal mining activities and establish a robust monitoring system at the mine sites. First, it calls on companies that rely on cobalt to power their products to acknowledge their reliance on DRC-mined cobalt and the attendant risks and responsibilities.
