Every chargeable device you own is powered with cobalt. It’s the component in lithium-ion batteries that keeps them stable and long lasting. About seventy percent of the world’s cobalt is mined from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The Congo’s mining system is horribly corrupt and dangerous, their cobalt is tainted with abuse, slavery, child labor, human trafficking, hazardous working conditions, pathetic wages, injury, death, and incalculable environmental harm.

Companies in corporate America, like Apple, Tesla, and Samsung, are not only ignoring their unethical sourcing, but also lying to the public about it. Each company has released statements alleging that their cobalt comes from clean sources, but when tracked directly, their ‘proof’ vanishes. Additionally the UN is pushing for more electric vehicles, without updating their Conflict Minerals list to include cobalt, meaning companies are walking away with dirty cobalt and clean hands.