Cobalt Is the New Blood Diamond: The Human Cost of Your Smartphone Battery

JB Quinnon
Apr 19
3 min read

In recent years, cobalt has become one of the most crucial elements fueling the global tech boom. It’s a vital component in lithium-ion batteries, which power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. But beneath the surface of this technological advancement lies a humanitarian crisis echoing the grim legacy of the blood diamond trade.

The Congo Connection

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to over 70% of the world’s cobalt reserves. Much of the cobalt extracted here comes from small-scale, unregulated mines known as “artisanal” mines. Despite the name, these sites are anything but artisanal—they’re dangerous, unsupervised, and often exploit child labor.

A 2016 Amnesty International investigation reported that children as young as 7 years old were working up to 12 hours a day in hazardous conditions to mine cobalt, earning as little as $1 a day. The report found direct links between the cobalt mined under such conditions and major tech companies like Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft.

The 2019 Lawsuit

In 2019, International Rights Advocates filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of 14 Congolese families against Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla. The suit alleged that these companies knowingly benefited from and aided the cruel and brutal use of young children in DRC cobalt mines. The complaint documented horrific stories of collapsed tunnels, fatal injuries, and families left without compensation.

However, in March 2024, a U.S. appeals court dismissed the lawsuit, citing insufficient evidence that the companies had direct knowledge or control over the human rights abuses in their supply chains. Critics of the ruling argued that the court ignored the responsibility of multinational corporations to conduct due diligence, especially when their profits hinge on conflict minerals.

A Dangerous Chain Reaction

Most consumers are unaware that cobalt is a byproduct of copper and nickel mining, and lithium-ion batteries—despite their name—rely heavily on cobalt for stability and energy density. This chemical link ties modern, green tech directly to human suffering in regions like the DRC.

Efforts to trace supply chains are improving, with companies like Apple pledging to use only recycled cobalt by 2025. Yet, watchdogs argue that voluntary initiatives often lack enforcement, and recycled material only accounts for a fraction of demand. The larger issue remains: until companies can guarantee ethical sourcing at scale, their products risk being complicit in modern slavery.

Why the “Blood Diamond” Comparison Fits

The term “blood diamond” refers to gemstones mined in war zones and sold to finance armed conflict. These diamonds gained infamy for the exploitation and violence involved in their extraction. The cobalt trade, while not always tied directly to warfare, mirrors this exploitation—children risking their lives in deadly mines, corporations profiting at a distance, and little legal accountability.

The tech industry’s silence is deafening. Unlike the diamond trade, which faced global scrutiny and the eventual Kimberley Process certification scheme, cobalt mining lacks a robust international regulatory framework.

The Path Forward

Transparency: Companies must provide clear, third-party audited documentation of their entire supply chains.
Accountability: Courts and international bodies must revisit legal standards that currently allow multinational firms to shield themselves from supply chain abuses.
Consumer Awareness: The public must demand ethically sourced products and support organizations working to reform the cobalt trade.

Conclusion

The gadgets that make our lives convenient often conceal the suffering of others. As the demand for lithium-ion batteries surges with the rise of electric vehicles and smartphones, it is vital to question the human cost of “green” and digital technology. If we fail to act, cobalt may become known not for its conductivity—but for the lives crushed beneath its weight.

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