Another day, another lawsuit against big tech companies. This time around, Nonprofit group International Rights Advocate filed a lawsuit in the US District Court in Washington against Apple, Alphabet (parent company of Google), Microsoft, Dell, and Tesla. According to the lawsuit, 14 plaintiffs who are guardians of children working in cobalt mines in Congo are accusing of the tech companies of negligence.
In a statement on Sunday, Professor Siddharth Kara, an investigator for the plaintiff's legal team, said that the lawsuit represents the culmination of several years of investigation into the terrible conditions of cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo."
"I hope our efforts are worthy of the brave families who shared their immeasurable torment with us, and that justice and decency will triumph over the pursuit of profit at any cost." Professor Kara continues.
The lawsuit accuses Apple, Google, Dell, Microsoft, and Tesla to have allowed the mining companies to continue with their abusive practices, which led to dangerous conditions, which in turn led to deaths and severe injury.
Cobalt in our devices
Cobalt is an essential component of lithium-ion batteries widely used in today's devices. With smartphone demand drastically exploding throughout the decade, the need for cobalt has also arisen. The need is expected to double again by the end of 2020. The Democratic Republic of Congo supplies more than 60% of cobalt in the world.
Cobalt mining has been controversial, as the practice is linked to human rights abuses, environmental destruction, illegal child labor, and government corruption. In 2016, Amnesty International found that children mine 20 % of it.
Statement from the companies
Glencore, one of the companies who operate mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, released the following statements:
"Glencore supports and respects human rights in a manner consistent with the universal declaration of human rights.
"Glencore's production of cobalt in the DRC is a by-product of our industrial copper production. Glencore's operations in the DRC do not purchase or process any artisanally mined ore.
"Glencore does not tolerate any form of a child, forced, or compulsory labor."
Apple, too, released statements following the lawsuit:
"Apple is deeply committed to the responsible sourcing of materials that go into our products. We've led the industry by establishing the strictest standards for our suppliers and are constantly working to raise the bar for ourselves, and the industry.
"In 2014, we were the first to start mapping our cobalt supply chain to the mine level and since 2016, we have published a full list of our identified cobalt refiners every year, 100% of which are participating in independent third-party audits. If a refiner is unable or unwilling to meet our standards, they will be removed from our supply chain. We've removed six cobalt refiners in 2019."
Dell released its statement as well:
"Dell Technologies is committed to the responsible sourcing of minerals, which includes upholding the human rights of workers at any tier of our supply chain and treating them with dignity and respect.
"We have never knowingly sourced operations using any form of involuntary labor, fraudulent recruiting practices, or child labor. We work with suppliers to manage their sourcing programs responsibly. Any supplier with reports of misconduct is investigated and, if misconduct is found, removed from our supply chain.
"We're currently investigating these allegations, and have informed the Responsible Minerals Initiative as part of their grievance mechanism."
Google, through CNN Business, also released a statement regarding the accusations:
"Child labor and endangerment is unacceptable. Our Supplier Code of Conduct strictly prohibits this activity. We are committed to sourcing all materials ethically and eliminating child mining in global supply chains. As an active member of the Responsible Minerals Initiative, we work alongside our suppliers, other companies, and industry groups to drive efforts in and beyond" the Congo."
Microsoft and Tesla have not released statements as of the moment.
