COBALT: THE HIDDEN PRICE OF OUR SMARTPHONE

What it is and why it’s so important

Cobalt is a silvery-grey metal found in the Earth’s crust in small quantities, almost always combined with other minerals such as copper and nickel. It is the key component of lithium-ion batteries, which power smartphones, laptops, tablets, and electric cars. Without cobalt, the battery overheats, becomes unstable, and doesn’t last long. 

In 2023, global demand exceeded 200,000 tons. With the explosion of the electric vehicle market, it is estimated that it could double by 2030. A mineral indispensable for a future that claims to be green, but it is developed in anything but green conditions.

Congo: Rich in Resources, Poor in Rights

About 70% of the world’s cobalt reserves are found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), primarily in the provinces of Katanga and Lualaba. The DRC is one of the richest countries in the world in terms of natural resources, but it is among the poorest in terms of living conditions. This painful and not accidental contradiction reflects decades of colonial and post-colonial exploitation, corruption, and international economic interests, which have left little for local communities.

Alongside the large, internationally managed industrial mines, there are thousands of artisanal mining sites, known as “ASM mines,” which employ over 150,000 people. They dig barehanded with pickaxes and shovels, carrying extremely heavy sacks through narrow, poorly ventilated tunnels for just a few dollars a day. No contracts, no protection, no access to medical care. This is the context in which the cobalt in our phones is produced.

Children in the mines

According to Amnesty International, tens of thousands of children work in the cobalt mines of the DRC, some of whom are under the age of 7. The children perform the tasks considered “simpler”: they carry sacks, sift the earth for mineral fragments, and wash stones in the river. But none of these jobs is harmless: they grow up exposed to toxic substances, far from their families or having lost them, without going to school, vulnerable to all forms of abuse and exploitation. Their childhood is sacrificed on the altar of a global economy that too often doesn’t question what it buys.

Risks and accidents

Working in an artisanal mine is very dangerous. Collapses of tunnels without any support structure are frequent and often fatal, with many victims never officially recorded. Landslides during the rainy season bury workers alive. Toxic fumes in the tunnels cause asphyxiation.

Long-term exposure to cobalt and associated metals (such as uranium, manganese, and lead) causes serious lung disease, neurological damage, and kidney damage. River water near the mines is contaminated with heavy metals: communities that drink it, including mothers and children, suffer the consequences for generations. A 2020 report detected cobalt levels in the blood of children living near the mines up to 43 times higher than normal.

What we can do in our small way

Geographical distance does not absolve us of responsibility. As consumers, every purchasing choice we make is, in a small way, also a political choice.

The first concrete action we can take is to buy refurbished devices instead of new ones, or repair the ones we already have. A broken screen or a dead battery often only requires a small intervention to add years of life.

Furthermore, it’s important to properly dispose of devices at CDR centres when they’re no longer needed so that the cobalt can be recycled, reducing the need for new mining.

Finally, educate yourself and share this information: awareness is the first step toward change.

A connection that concerns us

Cobalt literally connects us to a reality thousands of kilometres away. A child digging in a mine in Congo is separated from us by an ocean, but is united to us by what powers our screen.

KISEDET works every day with vulnerable children and young people in Tanzania: street children, orphans, and minors who have dropped out of school to work. The causes are not always the same, but the root is often common: structural poverty, lack of opportunities, and exploitation of the voiceless.

Knowing the history of cobalt gives us the ability to make more informed choices. Every small choice, multiplied by millions of consumers, can put real pressure on the market, companies, and institutions.

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