Conflict Minerals: State Department Signals Interest in How Tech Companies Address Abuses in Cobalt Supply Chain

Dec 23, 2016 | Todd C. Frankel, Washington Post
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The U.S. government is taking an increased interest in how American technology companies plan to address human rights abuses in Congo’s cobalt mines, according to a senior State Department official. The attention from State comes as industry groups have recently launched two initiatives aimed at curbing child labor and other dangerous practices in their cobalt supply chains. Cobalt is essential for the lithium-ion batteries used in smartphones, laptops and electric vehicles. Sixty percent of the world’s supply of cobalt comes from Congo, which has a long history of loose regulation of mines.