Pyers also said Apple is committed to working with Huayou Cobalt to clean up the supply chain and to addressing the underlying issues, such as extreme poverty, that result in harsh work conditions and child labor.Īnother Huayou customer, LG Chem, one of the world’s leading battery makers, told The Post it stopped buying Congo-sourced minerals late last year. Paula Pyers, a senior director at Apple in charge of supply-chain social responsibility, said the company plans to increase scrutiny of how all its cobalt is obtained. The Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant said that an estimated 20 percent of the cobalt it uses comes from Huayou Cobalt. More in this series: Cobalt in Congo and Graphite in ChinaĪpple, in response to questions from The Post, acknowledged that this cobalt has made its way into its batteries. More in this series: Cobalt in Congo and Lithium in Argentina More in this series: Graphite in China and Lithium in Argentina
But the desperate search for the ingredients carries a steep cost. The world has grown reliant on lithium-ion batteries that power smartphones, laptops and electric cars.
And the mining activity exposes local communities to levels of toxic metals that appear to be linked to ailments that include breathing problems and birth defects, health officials say. An estimated 100,000 cobalt miners in Congo use hand tools to dig hundreds of feet underground with little oversight and few safety measures, according to workers, government officials and evidence found by The Washington Post during visits to remote mines. The world’s soaring demand for cobalt is at times met by workers, including children, who labor in harsh and dangerous conditions. Then he slung his shovel over his shoulder. But now a debt collector stood at the door.
“Do you have enough money to buy flour today?” he asked his wife. And he planned to mine by hand all day and through the night. A proud man, he likes to wear a button-down shirt even to mine. He grabbed his metal shovel and broken-headed hammer from a corner of the room he shares with his wife and child. But Mayamba, 35, knew nothing about his role in this sprawling global supply chain.
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