September 12, 2025

The Tainted Shadow of the Green Revolution: The Cobalt Conundrum in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Key Points

Cobalt production in the DRC is tied to various labour abuses, including forced and child labour, impacting many workers.
The analysis points to the growing importance of cobalt in the green energy revolution, highlighting both its benefits and ethical concerns.
Extensive discussion is given to the role of corporations and artisanal miners in cobalt mining, revealing contrasting operational conditions.
International initiatives aiming for sustainable development face major challenges in addressing the rights and safety of miners.

Abstract

The aim of this article is to characterise the system of the cobalt economy. The introduction presents the importance of cobalt for the green energy revolution. The production chain and the role of the main entities that co-create it are described. Then, the functioning of cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo – including both large mines managed by corporations and artisanal small-scale ones – is discussed. Attention is drawn to phenomena such as forced labour, bonded labour, slave labour, child labour, the situation of women, and violations of all health and safety standards in mines. The article ends with an analysis of the effectiveness of international initiatives aimed at improving the situation of producers and implementing the idea of sustainable development.

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Cite This Study

Popławski et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/68d44b3031b076d99fa54713 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.51196/srz.26.8

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