BYD and Mitsubishi declined to provide statements in response to the findings, either to Autocar or Amnesty International. In an attempt to improve supply chain visibility, the European Union will launch a battery passport from 1 February 2027, needed for all EV batteries over 2kWh.
Gavin Harper, a critical materials research fellow at the University of Birmingham, said of the battery passport: “The EU is a significant market for vehicles around the world [so] it will undoubtedly shape and impact manufacturers wishing to sell into the European market.”
The report comes at a time when several of the world’s leading marques are actively stepping up their efforts to promote transparency, traceability and accountability in their mineral supply chains.
Volvo, for instance, which is not listed in Amnesty International’s report, is using blockchain to trace the origin of all cobalt entering its supply chain as part of an agreement with suppliers CATL and LG Chem. As a result, Volvo says it will introduce a battery passport for all its BEV and PHEV cars by 2027 “to meet the deadline of the requirements of the battery passport regulation”.
From a compliance perspective, Mercedes has been working with RCS Global, a leading environmental, social and governance auditor, since 2018 to scrutinise its mineral supply chain. Elsewhere, BMW is actively engaged in the Responsible Cobalt Initiative to identify and eliminate social and environmental risks in its cobalt supply chain. Meanwhile, Volkswagen decrees that all its suppliers comply with The Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance standards.
The wider cost of cobalt mining’s dark side
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) produces around 70% of the world’s cobalt, with major suppliers all using material dug up from the African country by mining companies.
However, according to campaign group Rights and Accountability in Development (RAID), the mines are exacting a devastating toll on thousands of adults and children as well as the environment.