Natural Resources
ESG Risks Associated With the Production of Critical Raw Materials 🌱
![ESG Risks Associated With the Production of Critical Raw Materials 🌱](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.voronoiapp.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fvoronoi-ESG-Risks-Associated-With-the-Production-of-Critical-Raw-Materials--20240510131208.webp&w=3840&q=75)
What we’re showing
The key ESG risks of producing various critical raw materials (CRMs), according to a Dec 2023 report produced for the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy.
Key takeaway
Production of most CRMs is causing harm to ecosystems and depleting water resources.
Context
- The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is the world's largest cobalt producer, accounting for 73% of global output in 2022.
- Child labor has long been a concern in the DRC, given the country’s high rates of poverty.
- In 2019, U.S. tech companies including Apple, Google, and Microsoft were named as defendants in a lawsuit over the death/injury of 14 Congolese children who were mining cobalt.
Dataset
Water pollution | Water depletion | Ecosystem loss | Biodiversity harm | Child/Forced labor | CO2 emissions | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cobalt | X | X | X | |||
Platinum | X | X | X | |||
Rare Earth Elements | X | X | X | |||
Lithium | X | X | ||||
Silicon | X | X | X | |||
Nickel | X | X | X | X | X | |
Gallium | X | X | ||||
Copper | X | |||||
Titanium | X | X | ||||
Tantalum | X | X | X | X |
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