China’s biggest cobalt producer is to stop buying from individuals in the Democratic Republic of Congo, bowing to pressure from customers and rights groups concerned about child labour in the country’s informal mining sector.
Huayou Cobalt, one of the top global suppliers of the metal used in batteries for electric cars and mobile devices, has faced growing scrutiny in recent years over human rights violations in the DRC, which accounts for more than two-thirds of global output.
In December it was named alongside technology companies including Apple, Dell and Microsoft in a US class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of families of children killed or injured while mining cobalt in the central African nation.
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