Obtaining the raw materials for make batteries go on bringing out the colors of electric car brands in terms of human rights. In the latest report from Amnesty International many lack transparency in their supply chains. especially the chinese BYD. And those who don’t get quite low grades.
Cobalt continues to be a critical, highly recurring material for the manufacture of batteries. And the largest known world deposits are located in the so-called Central African copper belt, with workers risking their health and even their lives in the mines. Including children.
“Serious lack of transparency”: with BYD, Hyundai or Geely in the lead
This new report from the organization rates 13 major car manufacturers with electrics in the equation. Some exclusively electric brands like Tesla. Also Chinese, like BYD o Geely. The bitter side of this ranking is carried out by Asian firms, which receive the worst score.
The study ranking It is rated out of 90 points and evaluates the performance of companies based on criteria such as commitment to human rights policies, the risk identification process, supply chain monitoring or the presentation of reports and actions to avoid it. None has exceeded 51 points: rating you get Mercedes-Benzthe most transparent in this regard. Even so, it does not reach the minimum threshold.
Source: Amnesty International.
The brand with the worst rating has been the Chinese BYDone of the giants of the electric car today and that already delivers more than 100,000 plug-ins a week. It has had a very poor score: 11 over 90.
“They show a serious lack of transparency in compliance with human rights in their battery supply chains,” says Agnès Callamard, secretary general of Amnesty International. The People’s Republic does not reveal the smelters, refineries or mines it uses to obtain raw materials for the batteries of its electric cars.
They follow her Mitsubishi with 13/90 points y Hyundai con 21/90. The TOP5 is completed by Geely and Nissan, both with 22 out of 90 points. In the middle zone we find companies such as Renault and General Motors that, although they declare commitments to safeguard human rights, are not completely transparent about how the raw materials for their batteries are obtained.
“The lack of transparency in supply chains is a serious problem considering the likelihood that they may be obtaining batteries made from minerals such as cobalt or nickel mined under conditions that could harm essential rights of people,” says Callamard.
For example, Geely only provided general supplier locations without specifying mineral extraction sites. Hyundai and Mitsubishi Motors also demonstrated a lack of transparency, without doing a comprehensive mapping of the obtaining mines for materials such as cobalt, copper, lithium or nickel.
Tesla, after Mercedes-Benz, it obtained the best score in transparency: 49 out of 90. The Californian firm’s main battery supplier is Panasonic, which obtains cobalt in the Philippines and not from the Congo. In any case, both countries are in the spotlight, although Southeast Asia is less so. The third best place went to Stellantis (42/90).
Despite this, their score is quite poor and, in Amnesty International’s opinion, they could do more to demonstrate how they are addressing and minimizing these risks.
“The industry response is very poor.” Cobalt is considered the new gold of the 21st century and more than 60% of it is obtained in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), one of the poorest countries in the world. The demand for this raw material is increasing, as is the abuse of human rights to obtain it.
Amnesty International points out forced evictions or health damage caused by environmental pollution, but above all the labor exploitation of indigenous peoples. child labor or the lack of security in these mines are in the equation. Therefore, it urges brands to mitigate these risks by identifying the entire supply process and acting accordingly.
“Human rights violations linked to the extraction of energy transition minerals are alarming and widespread, and the industry response is very poor,” criticizes Callamard. A previous report from this entity denounced that the Children worked up to 12 hours in the mines for just 1 or 2 dollars a daycarrying heavy loads and in terrible conditions.
In 2014, approximately 40,000 children worked in mines in southern DRC, many of them extracting cobalt and under the command of warlords, according to UNICEF.
Traditionally, companies argue that tracing the path of raw materials used in batteries is very complicated due to the complexity of the supply chain. But it is still your responsibility to know the origin of these materials that are so necessary for your electric cars. Decarbonization cannot take away people’s rights.
Source: www.motorpasion.com
