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NOW FOR ETHICAL BATTERY SUPPLY CHAINS?","what-now-for-ethical-battery-supply-chains","article/what-now-for-ethical-battery-supply-chains",{"_uid":557,"date":558,"tags":559,"editor":560,"content":570,"excerpt":724,"featured":50,"reporter":725,"_editable":729,"component":730,"seo_title":553,"categories":731,"visibility":738,"author_company":49,"featured_image":739,"seo_description":724,"author_full_name":49,"author_job_title":49,"formattedDate":744,"formattedArticleDate":745},"a0161345-ddbe-4ca1-b060-6c443406c4c7","2018-02-25 00:00",[],[561],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":564},"matthew-bird","Matthew Bird",{"job_title":565,"image":566,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},"Senior Editor - Supply Chains & Data Visualisation",{"filename":567},"https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/512x512/14738033ec/matthew-bird.jpeg","Matthew writes, edits and produces content for Benchmark Intelligence and Benchmark Source across the whole mine to grid supply chain. He also acts as a liaison to the press. He has a PhD in electrochemistry from the University of Nottingham.","https://www.linkedin.com/in/birdmatthew/",{"type":571,"content":572},"doc",[573,580,585,590,595,600,603,608,613,620,625,630,635,640,643,648,653,656,661,666,669,674,679,684,689,694,697,702,707,712,717],{"type":574,"attrs":575,"content":576},"paragraph",{"textAlign":49},[577],{"text":578,"type":579},"COBALT SUPPLY CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE IS NOW MAINSTREAM AFTER LATEST AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT, SAYS SAM HARDY","text",{"type":574,"attrs":581,"content":582},{"textAlign":49},[583],{"text":584,"type":579},"2017 was the year electric vehicles (EV) hit the mainstream. That a possible end to the internal combustion engine is potentially on the horizon is clearly a major story in its own right but what has been equally fascinating over the last year is the emerging debate over how the EV market can retain its virtuous brand image while ethical issues in the li-ion battery supply chain stubbornly remain.",{"type":574,"attrs":586,"content":587},{"textAlign":49},[588],{"text":589,"type":579},"It is a debate that is being played out on the pages of the mainstream media but also within key global bodies including the World Bank, in its report Growing Role of Minerals and Metals in a Low-Carbon Future, and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).",{"type":574,"attrs":591,"content":592},{"textAlign":49},[593],{"text":594,"type":579},"This debate reached another milestone last month with the publication of Amnesty International’s ongoing ethical cobalt research. Amnesty’s original 2016 report lifted the lid on child labour in the cobalt supply chain from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the NGO’s partnership with the Washington Post made the cobalt sustainability implications for consumer tech a public issue.",{"type":574,"attrs":596,"content":597},{"textAlign":49},[598],{"text":599,"type":579},"This year’s report, Time to Recharge: Corporate Action and Inaction to tackle abuses in the cobalt supply chain, expanded the focus beyond tablets and smartphones and put the EV market firmly on notice that they too were now under scrutiny for human rights abuses in their minerals supply chains.",{"type":574,"attrs":601,"content":602},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":604,"content":605},{"textAlign":49},[606],{"text":607,"type":579},"All of the major auto brands were scored for their action on ensuring sustainable cobalt supply chains. None scored well. Overall, all of the companies scrutinised in the report failed to meet the expectations set by Amnesty, namely that a company should adequately investigate its cobalt supply chain for potential human rights abuses.",{"type":574,"attrs":609,"content":610},{"textAlign":49},[611],{"text":612,"type":579},"Almost half were not meeting basic levels of good practice. The report recommended that companies address the issue through the following actions:",{"type":614,"attrs":615,"content":617},"heading",{"level":616,"textAlign":49},3,[618],{"text":619,"type":579},"Cobalt still main challenge",{"type":574,"attrs":621,"content":622},{"textAlign":49},[623],{"text":624,"type":579},"Cobalt will remain the main challenge for sustainable battery supply chains in 2018. The dominance of the DRC, where two thirds of global supply emanates from, coupled with the endemic political and human rights issues in the country mean there is no easy fix.",{"type":574,"attrs":626,"content":627},{"textAlign":49},[628],{"text":629,"type":579},"It will also remain the lightning rod for NGO, media, and industry scrutiny. Amnesty International plan to further expand their cobalt research beyond an annual report and in to more in-depth targeted investigations while also expanding to look at more of the key players in the cobalt refining and smelting sector in China.",{"type":574,"attrs":631,"content":632},{"textAlign":49},[633],{"text":634,"type":579},"Media including the Financial Times, Reuters, and the mining press will also continue to follow the story closely. But cobalt is not the only battery metal with sustainable supply chain risks.",{"type":574,"attrs":636,"content":637},{"textAlign":49},[638],{"text":639,"type":579},"Industry attention and some sporadic media interest is now also being seen in lithium, nickel, manganese, and graphite, all of which also have varying degrees of ethical sourcing challenges. The OECD will expand their investigation into responsible sourcing risks in battery metal supply chains early next year and increased debate on legislation often follows the OECD’s ‘soft law’ approach towards norms and standards.",{"type":574,"attrs":641,"content":642},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":644,"content":645},{"textAlign":49},[646],{"text":647,"type":579},"Across all battery metals the ethical sourcing risks can be broadly split in to six areas covering human rights abuses, child labour, conflict and political insecurity, environmental damage, poor community relations, and poor health and safety.",{"type":574,"attrs":649,"content":650},{"textAlign":49},[651],{"text":652,"type":579},"It is, perhaps rightly, child labour that has grabbed the headlines over the last 18 months but actually the risk profile of the key battery metals are diverse and the reality is that, with the possible exception of cobalt, industry does not yet have adequate insight in to all the risks present in the midstream and upstream of most battery metal supply chains.",{"type":574,"attrs":654,"content":655},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":657,"content":658},{"textAlign":49},[659],{"text":660,"type":579},"The more we look, the more we find out – as has clearly been the case with cobalt. This trend will continue over the coming year. The bottom-line is that market and industry expectations for the downstream will likely increase over the coming year.",{"type":574,"attrs":662,"content":663},{"textAlign":49},[664],{"text":665,"type":579},"Brands sourcing li-ion batteries and their key inputs for their end products from cars to hedge trimmers will now be expected to demonstrate action on responsible sourcing at the company level.",{"type":574,"attrs":667,"content":668},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":670,"content":671},{"textAlign":49},[672],{"text":673,"type":579},"This is not purely a demand being pushed by campaigners such as Amnesty. The OECD is also actively encouraging action – and public reporting on that action by individual companies. The transition from industry acknowledgement of battery sourcing risks to company level action is underway.",{"type":614,"attrs":675,"content":676},{"level":616,"textAlign":49},[677],{"text":678,"type":579},"Progress",{"type":574,"attrs":680,"content":681},{"textAlign":49},[682],{"text":683,"type":579},"However, Amnesty did acknowledge that since its 2016 report, progress had been made, with one clear sign being the proliferation of industry level initiatives and the number of companies joining such schemes.",{"type":574,"attrs":685,"content":686},{"textAlign":49},[687],{"text":688,"type":579},"And indeed, industry approaches to dealing with ethical supply chain risks and consensus over what is good practice at the company level are growing.",{"type":574,"attrs":690,"content":691},{"textAlign":49},[692],{"text":693,"type":579},"The Cobalt Institute is developing a cobalt industry-wide risk assessment framework, the Drive Sustainability group of automotive companies is developing common due diligence tools, the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) is finding consensus over downstream expectations of responsible mining practices, the World Economic Forum formed a Global Battery Alliance, and the Responsible Cobalt Initiative (RCI) created a forum for exchange between the Chinese minerals processing companies and international downstream players.",{"type":574,"attrs":695,"content":696},{"textAlign":49},[],{"type":574,"attrs":698,"content":699},{"textAlign":49},[700],{"text":701,"type":579},"There are also encouraging signs that the downstream and the upstream are beginning to work closer together on responsible sourcing solutions with positive action likely to benefit producers and battery metal customers alike.",{"type":574,"attrs":703,"content":704},{"textAlign":49},[705],{"text":706,"type":579},"This will make it easier for companies to act, and to be sure they are acting in the right way. But even here the report sounded a note of caution. The report claimed that while membership of such schemes is encouraging, companies need to undertake direct action, not simply sign up to groups who themselves may have a responsible sourcing policy or approach.",{"type":574,"attrs":708,"content":709},{"textAlign":49},[710],{"text":711,"type":579},"Fortunately, tested tools exist for improving downstream knowledge of supply chains, for instance supply chain mapping audits from the downstream to the smelter level (and, potentially, beyond) and mine site risk monitoring and assurance programs. Furthermore, blockchain-based traceability systems are being explored.",{"type":574,"attrs":713,"content":714},{"textAlign":49},[715],{"text":716,"type":579},"Disengagement or basic box-ticking is no longer an option for companies in battery metals supply chains. Cobalt supply chain due diligence has now reached the mainstream and public expectations around the issue will continue to grow. Ultimately, this is an important step towards improving the lives of those affected by the growing consumption of EVs and electronic devices, however removed from that consumption they may be.",{"type":574,"attrs":718,"content":719},{"textAlign":49},[720,722],{"text":721,"type":579},"Author ",{"text":723,"type":579},"Sam Hardy is from RCS Global, one of the world’s leading advisory, audit and training in responsible sourcing of natural resources. RCS specialise in the battery supply chain. More at www.rcsglobal.com","COBALT SUPPLY CHAIN DUE DILIGENCE IS NOW MAINSTREAM AFTER LATEST AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL REPORT, SAYS SAM HARDY 2017 was the year electric vehicles (EV) hit the mainstream. That a possible end to the internal combustion engine is potentially on the horizon is clearly a major story in its own right but what has been equally fascinating […]",[726],{"slug":562,"name":563,"content":727},{"job_title":565,"image":728,"bio":568,"linkedin":569},{"filename":567},"\u003C!--#storyblok#{\"name\": \"article\", \"space\": \"\", \"uid\": \"a0161345-ddbe-4ca1-b060-6c443406c4c7\", \"id\": \"\"}-->","article",[732,735],{"slug":733,"name":734},"batteries","Batteries",{"slug":736,"name":737},"critical-minerals","Critical Minerals","private",{"id":49,"alt":740,"name":740,"focus":740,"title":740,"source":740,"filename":741,"copyright":740,"fieldtype":742,"meta_data":743,"is_external_url":51},"","https://a.storyblok.com/f/287943243085208/69757a3a2a/bm-222104-drc-artisanal-cobalt-mining.jpeg","asset",{"alt":740,"title":740,"source":740,"copyright":740},"Feb 25, 2018","25th February 2018",[],[],1792773944894]