Cobalt isn’t strictly defined as a conflict mineral and falls outside the scope of most international conflict mineral regulations, such as those created by the US and European Union. It has also not been included in the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region’s (ICGLR) efforts to ensure legal, traceable, and conflict-free supply chains within the Great Lakes region of Africa.

But as demand for the mineral grows and investigations spotlight human rights abuses at artisanal mines, there are renewed calls for traceability and due diligence. Though as much as 20% of cobalt in DRC is mined artisanally, miners remain informal and lack regulation and adequate safety training or standards. Significant human rights abuses have been tied to the artisanal mining of cobalt, including child labour and gender-based violence at mine sites. Artisanal miners often encounter hazardous conditions and communities nearby frequently have to deal with environmental degradation and exposure to a range of threats to their health, including toxic metal contamination. Additionally, as the processing of cobalt requires a significant amount of water, the implications and the strain of water being diverted away from the community can become a source for conflict. International investigations and consumer pressure has resulted in increased calls for the private sector to implement the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas within cobalt supply chains.