Cobalt Value Chain Mapping

The Cobalt Institute’s cobalt value chain mapping is a detailed overview of all stages of cobalt production – from mining to recycling – and the actual and potential human rights and environmental risks related to them.

The mapping aims to help the cobalt industry to identify and assess risks, and to seek opportunities to use its sectoral leverage to achieve impact-oriented outcomes. It is based on publicly available information as well as cross-sector expert interviews.

The Cobalt Institute prioritized industry risks with the highest impact to people and planet.  This approach was aligned with the authoritative framework of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) on which emerging due diligence legislation – including the new EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive – is premised.

The mapping also considered the initiatives in place to address risks in the cobalt value chain. This includes initiatives to improve working practices related to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the multi-stakeholder action platform Fair Cobalt Alliance (FCA) and the ASM Cobalt Framework developed by the Global Battery Alliance’s (GBA) Cobalt Action Partnership. The Cobalt Institute is an active member of both the FCA and the GBA.