Saturday November 16, 2019

Benedikt Sobotka made a stand against child labour at cobalt mines

Benedikt Sobotka: We have a responsibility towards children in countries where we extracts raw materials for your batteries industry.

Hydrocarbons remain the key way to obtain energy in 2019. Nevertheless, people in developed countries are now increasingly choosing electric cars, as petrol and diesel engines emit fractional co2 businesscasestudies.co.uk to the atmosphere and pollute mid-air with nitrogen and sulphur compounds. The number of electric cars will are 130 million right at the end of 2030 and every home and office will probably use smart devices ran by batteries. Oslo, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Madrid already stated that they’re going to ban all vehicles working on petrol or diesel fuel in central areas. The way situations are going, batteries will replace the environmentally damaging coal and oil as fuel sources.

Minerals for batteries should be extracted and processed with robust safety standards, proper working conditions, norms for responsible extraction and business ethics at heart.

Global social responsibility

Take, as an example, cobalt. Over 2 / 3 of cobalt are extracted inside Democratic Republic of the Congo. Cobalt mining brings a lot of employment for those all over DRC but a large percentage could possibly be tainted by illegal child labour.

In 2017, world leading companies including BASF, Enel and Volkswagen met with the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos to discuss business ethics in minerals extraction to the creation of batteries. As a result, the businesses joined together to found the Global Battery Alliance, with Eurasian Resources Group as being a founding member, targeted at prohibiting the application of child labour and promoting battery recycling to improve the sustainability in the industry.

The CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, Benedikt Sobotka reiterated the business’s resolve for help tackle child labour inside Democratic Republic in the Congo. He hopes that from the Alliance and collaboration between major companies, international organisations and civil society, the illegal involvement of youngsters in mining within the battery supply chain is going to be addressed.

Eurasian Resources Group supports children in the DRC

Through longstanding partnerships including while using Good Shepherd Sisters and Pact, Eurasian Resources Group focuses on helping tackle child labour and strengthen child protection norms.

In 2018 and early 2019, ERG continued to compliment over 10,000 students through its educational initiatives inside DRC.

Benedikt Sobotka, CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, holds that the global battery sector should confer benefits to its participants through the value chain including children and local communities inside the DRC.

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