Blogs
Introducing Cobalt Credits: Responsible sourcing starts with taking responsibility
This is a guest blog authored by Angela Jorns, the Fair Materials & Mining Lead at Fairphone, and David Sturmes, Fundraising & Business Development Director at The Impact Facility. Fairphone is a Dutch social enterprise that, by making a smartphone and other electronics, is building a movement for fairer electronics, seeking to open up the […]
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Rinse, wash, repeat – developing replicable solutions to make washing artisanal cobalt safe and fair
The FCA is determined to support the adoption of better health and safety practices in artisanal cobalt mine sites. Starting April this year, the washerwomen at the Kamilombe mine site, a partner mine of the FCA run by the cooperative CMDS, the women have been able to gain access to wader boots on a daily-hire […]
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The fatal toll of artisanal cobalt mining continues. Is responsible ASM even possible?
At the Kamilombe mine site on January 22nd and 24th, just outside Kapata in Lualaba and home to more than two dozen informal cobalt mines, six men lost their lives during two separate incidents. Sixteen of their colleagues were rescued in time.
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How to respond in moments of crisis
Artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining is often characterised by its hazardous working conditions that can be found at most of the roughly 40 mine sites known to be in operation throughout Lualaba and Haute-Katanga Province. Makeshift tunnels, a lack of professional mining equipment, poorly enforced regulations, and informal work structures frequently lead to accidents of varying severity – too many of which result in fatalities.
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