Addressing artisanal and small-scale mining in the DRC

Globally, artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) provides subsistence for more than 100 million people – including workers and families across the ASM value chain. ... The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has a long history of ASM, where it takes many different forms, from official co-operative associations to small groups of miners ...

Baseline Study on Cobalt Artisanal Mining in DRC

Responsible Sourcing Network (RSN), in partnership with the Department of Anthropology of the University of British Columbia, released the Baseline Study of Artisanal and Small-Scale Cobalt Mining in the Republic Democratic of the Congo (DRC). This study, funded through the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), is needed and …

Battery maker Northvolt looks at sourcing cobalt from Congo

Swedish battery maker Northvolt is looking to source cobalt, used to make chemicals for electric vehicle batteries, from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the company said on Friday.

Pilot scheme seeks to produce first 'ethical cobalt' from Congo

A pilot scheme to trace the world's first "ethical cobalt" from small-scale mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo all the way to consumers of electric cars …

Assessment of Cobalt Mining Activity in the Democratic …

Over half of the world's cobalt supply is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where cobalt is mined in both large-scale and artisanal or small-scale operations.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)'s response to …

Baseline Study of Artisanal and Small-Scale Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Google Scholar. Deloitte, 2020. Deloitte. 2020. "Worldwide roads on course for 31.1 million electric vehicle milestone by 2030." ... Reid, Helen. 2021. "Congo's cobalt monopoly to set price floor for artisanal miners." Reuters, July 15, 2021 ...

Making the case for artisanal and small-scale mining

To better understand ASM, Finn conducted three fieldwork trips with mining communities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to trace the start of the cobalt …

The future of artisanal mining in the DRC

However, the Democratic Republic of Congo's (DRC) cobalt industry is saddled with vast human, social, and environmental costs. With a GDP per capita of $556.81 in 2020 (according to the World Bank), the country is far from benefitting from this essential mineral. ... Many Congolese plies their trade as artisanal or small-scale …

How the world depends on small cobalt miners

Small-scale informal miners dig up about 15% of Congo's cobalt. That is more than the entire output of Russia, the world's second-largest producer (see chart). Artisanal miners are critical to ...

Q&A: Making the case for artisanal and small-scale mining

Artisanal and small-scale miners load bags of copper and cobalt ore near Kolwezi, DRC. Each bag can weigh up to 75 kilograms. Credit: Espérant Mwishamali

Framing spaces as (il)legitimate: "dirty" cobalt and the …

As large-scale mining (LSM) companies and other commercial actors capitalise on a demand boom for Congolese cobalt, they have framed artisanal and …

Child labour in cobalt mining

Opportunities Sourcing Cobalt and Copper From the Democratic Republic of the Congo", OECD Responsible Business Conduct (2019). Human rights, child labour and the cobalt value chain There are two types of mines in the DRC – industrial large scale mines (LSMs), and artisanal and small-scale mines (ASMs). ASMs, which contribute up to 30% of the

Baseline Study of Artisanal and Small-Scale Cobalt …

6| Baseline Study of Artisanal and Small-Scale Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo Cobalt, in use in the technology industry as a critical battery material for automotive, renewable energies, and electronic devices, is also central to the aerospace and healthcare industries (Cobalt Institute n.d.), hence

Artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining and the importance …

Artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining and the importance of formalization: An explainer with Pact's Mickaël Daudin. July 25, 2022 ... A significant portion of the world's supply comes from artisanal and small-scale mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo – some of which have been linked to environmental harm and human rights abuses ...

Sustainability of artisanal mining of cobalt in DR Congo

Cobalt is used in rechargeable batteries, and half the world's supply comes from one district in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This study assesses the sustainability of artisanal mining ...

Artisanal miners could help Congo's state-owned company …

According to the market analyst, if the state-owned company is able to capture all of the 8,000 tonnes of cobalt expected to be produced by artisanal and small-scale miners in the African country ...

Why Cobalt Mining in the DRC Needs Urgent Attention

More than 70 percent of the world's cobalt is produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and 15 to 30 percent of the Congolese cobalt is produced by artisanal and small-scale mining ...

Cobalt mining for Big Tech is driving child labor, deaths in the Congo

A young boy carries a sack at a small-scale cobalt mining site in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Siddharth Kara) Around 75 per cent of the world's cobalt is mined in the DRC -- and the ...

Small-scale mining and child labour in Kolwezi

Analyses of conflict between large-scale mining (LSM) and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the provinces of Haut-Katanga and Lualaba, southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC ...

Heart of Darkness: The Cataclysm of Artisanal Cobalt Mining in the Congo

Artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM), which is a lifeline for millions living in extreme poverty, is heavily militarized and intertwined with conflict-financing, armed interference, and various ...

Combatting Child Labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Cobalt

The COTECCO project works to address child labor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's (DRC) cobalt supply chain, with a focus on artisanal and small-scale mining. It supports key stakeholders to develop and implement strategies to reduce child labor and improve working conditions in artisanal and small-scale mines, as well as in the ...

Rethinking artisanal cobalt mining in the DRC

Nonetheless, about 10% of the world's cobalt originates from small-scale mines in the DRC. "Artisanal small-scale mining (ASM) is a business reality," Baumann-Pauly tells SWI swissinfo.ch.

World Economic Forum

More than 70% of the global production of cobalt takes place in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), of which 15–30% comes from so-called artisanal and small-scale mines. This white paper assesses recent approaches to formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining of cobalt.

Making Mining Safe and Fair: Artisanal cobalt extraction …

artisanal and small-scale mines where independent miners use their own resources to extract the mineral.2 Sourcing cobalt from the DRC is linked to major human rights risks, which have been widely documented. The prevalence of artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the cobalt supply chain creates challenges for establishing responsible

Safeguarding Congo's Economically Vital Cobalt Miners

The FCA's trip to DRC was a bid to better understand what is happening in artisanal and large-scale cobalt mines. Artisanal mining is where a small-scale miner works independently of a mining company. Such mining accounts for approximately 30% of DRC's cobalt production.

Artisanal cobalt mining swallowing city in Democratic …

Satellite imagery provided by Planet Labs shows the dramatic growth of copper and cobalt mines in and around the city of Kolwezi, in the Democratic Republic …

Mines for electric car metals in Congo strain workers' health, …

These industrial mines accounted for about 89 percent of Congo's cobalt production in 2020, according to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey, although industry insiders said some smaller ...

Mining Laws and Regulations Report 2024 Congo D.R.

1.1 What regulates mining law? Under Congolese law, mining law is governed by Law n° 007/2002 of July 11, 2002 related to the Mining Code ("Mining Code"), as amended and supplemented by Law n° 18/001 of March 9, 2018; as well as Decree n° 2003/038 of March 26, 2003 related to Mining Regulations ("Mining Regulations"), as …

Cobalt Mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: …

for cobalt in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). A shutdown designed to limit the spread of the lethal virus truncated a promising pilot project at a site called Mutoshi in …

Artisanal cobalt mining swallowing city in Democratic …

Artisanal and small-scale mining are estimated to employ an estimated 200,000 people in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and over a million more are indirectly involved through trade and ...