Hur ser arbetet för mer ansvarsfull koboltutvinning ut just nu, julen 2019? Och hur ser arbetet ut för Samsung, som producerar den mobiltelefon som jag just nu använder. Det här är ett levande dokument med länkar som är insamlade med start i december 2019.
The Guardian, dec 16, 2019: I saw the unbearable grief inflicted on families by cobalt mining. I pray for change, by Siddharth Kara https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/commentisfree/2019/dec/16/i-saw-the-unbearable-grief-inflicted-on-families-by-cobalt-mining-i-pray-for-change
Amnesty International kom 2016 med en omfattande rapport om hantverksutvunnen kobolt från Kongo 2016. ’Major electronics brands, including Apple, Samsung and Sony, are failing to do basic checks to ensure that cobalt mined by child laborers has not been used in their products, said Amnesty International and Afrewatch in a report published today. The report, “This is What We Die For: Human Rights Abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo Power the Global Trade in Cobalt”, traces the sale of cobalt, used in lithium-ion batteries, from mines where children as young as seven and adults work in perilous conditions.’
Hur ser det ut hos mobiltillverkarna? Här är Samsungs deklaration om ansvarsfulla tillgångskedjor där man bland annat ställer sig bakom OECDs arbete. https://www.samsungsdi.com/sustainable-management/sustainability/supply-chain-responsibility.html
Cobalt Institute är ett slags branschorganisation för företag och organisationer som handlar använder eller arbetar med kobolt.
https://www.cobaltinstitute.org/responsible-sourcing.html
The Cobalt Institute (CI) is a non-profit trade association composed of producers, users, recyclers, and traders of cobalt. We promote the sustainable and responsible production and use of cobalt in all its forms. Formerly known as the Cobalt Development Institute (CDI), we act as a knowledge center for governments, agencies, industry, the media and the public on all matters concerning cobalt and cobalt containing substances.
CIRAF är ett ramverk för att kunna förstå och bedöma ansvarsfullt användande av kobolt https://www.cobaltinstitute.org/ciraf.html
On 9 January 2019, the Cobalt Institute (CI) launched the Cobalt Industry Responsible Assessment Framework (CIRAF). While not a standard or certification scheme, the CIRAF is a management tool which allows participants to demonstrate that they are aligned with global good practice on responsible production and sourcing with annual public reporting being a mandatory requirement. It strengthens the ability of cobalt producers and buyers to assess, mitigate, and report on responsible production and sourcing risks in their operations and supply chain. The CIRAF also enables a more coherent and consistent approach to cobalt due diligence and reporting by the cobalt industry.
OECD 5-step framework for supply chain management
Och vad säger Northvolt om detta?
Från artikel av EURACTIF. I korthet handlar Northvolts planer om etisk utvinning av jordartsmineraler som kobolt om jag förstått det rätt att 1) handla direkt med utvinnarna och korta varukedjorna 2) hitta sätt att flytta utvinning och produktion till Europa
“We need to be very cautious about the choices we are making today,” said Emma Nehrenheim, Chief Environment Officer at Northvolt, during an EU debate about supply chain transparency in Brussels.
“Nevertheless it is incredibly important we move fast,” she told participants at the European Commission’s annual Raw Materials Week event on Wednesday (20 November).
Her comments addressed the paradox for companies with even the greenest intentions. As it stands, manufacturing clean, fossil-free technology depends on a closed-off and potentially exploitative supply chains of raw materials.