The book provides a thorough investigation of the cobalt industry in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, highlighting the complex and decentralized organization of mining, shocking labor abuses, and environmental degradation. It reveals a system of intermediary agents connecting miners to global technology corporations, which can plausibly plead ignorance about the abuses at the far end of the chain.
The book offers a detailed and insightful look into the cobalt mining industry in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. It sheds light on the intricate and highly decentralized nature of cobalt mining in the region, where a multitude of actors are involved in mining over two-thirds of the world's cobalt. This cobalt is crucial for the production of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries used in smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles. The book critically examines the claims of technology giants that they adhere to necessary regulations regarding local labor practices and environmental protection. It reveals how weak enforcement by a corrupt Congolese state has allowed for appalling working conditions and treatment of miners, as well as severe environmental degradation with dire health consequences for locals. The book also exposes a system of intermediary agents that connects individual miners to a diffuse array of buyers, depots, concessionaires, processors, and refining industries, all taking a share of the value of the mined cobalt. At the end of this chain are the battery producers under contract with global technology corporations, which can plausibly claim ignorance about the many abuses occurring at the far end of the supply chain.
Quick quotes
Kara provides a thorough and insightful investigation of the cobalt industry in the southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
He sheds light on the complex and highly decentralized organization of cobalt mining in this region, in which a large number of actors mine over two-thirds of the cobalt used in the world’s production of lithium-ion rechargeable batteries that power smartphones, laptops, and electric vehicles.
The technology giants that produce these sleek electronic consumer goods argue that they observe the necessary regulations with respect to local labor practices and environmental protection.