The Invisible Thread Between Smartphones And Child Labor

To manufacture smartphones, you need cobalt, and cobalt is mostly produced in one of the world's poorest countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo.

DRC produces roughly two thirds of the world's cobalt, whose price has soared by 180% in the past three years. On paper, this would mean that DRC is sitting on a gold mine, but the reality is slightly different. On the one hand, experts talk about supply shortage. But even more disturbing is the link between cobalt mining and child labor. 

Children like Lukasa, 15, who begins his 12-hour shift at the mine at 5 a.m. every day. He walks for two hours to the mining site, before spending eight hours mining this grayish metal that keeps our phones (and lives) moving. On a good day, he makes $9. Little does he know about the multibillion-dollar scramble underway. 

The demand for cobalt has only just begun. Cobalt is also crucial for the global transition to renewables. Each electric car will need over 1,000 times the amount of cobalt a smartphone does. 

In a country beset by conflict, corruption, and poverty, many have turned to cobalt mining to support their families. According to Congolese activists, about 10,000 children are working in the mines, some as young as ten years old. 

"It is virtually impossible to assure consumers of iPads, smartphones, or electric vehicles that no children have dug, crushed, washed, or transported the cobalt inside their devices."

Companies and NGOs are far from finding a solution that would end child labor without taking away from thousands of families their only source of income. Some argue thatblockchain could be the solution.  

As time passes and cobalt gains more relevance, we should all be aware of what lies behind our gadgets and our guilt-free vehicles, and push companies to be more transparent and look for innovative solutions that comply with human rights standards.