The Human Cost: Labor Abuses and Child Workers

A 2025-2026 review of cobalt supply chains highlights severe ethical problems in the DRC mining sector, especially in artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM). Many workers operate in informal pits with little protection or oversight. 

• 15–30% of the DRC’s cobalt comes from ASM, where tens of thousands of children may be involved under dangerous conditions. 

• Reports indicate child labor and exploitative work conditions are widespread, with many miners earning only a few dollars per day. 

• These conditions persist despite growing global pressure for ethical sourcing.

This means some of the cobalt inside everyday electronics might be linked to child labor or unsafe work environments — a key concern for activists and policymakers.

What Is Cobalt and Why It Matters in 2026

Cobalt is a critical metal used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, laptops, and smartphones. Demand for cobalt is expected to keep rising as the world electrifies transportation and energy storage. In 2026 analysts expect a global cobalt market deficit as supply tightens - largely due to export delays and regulatory changes in the DRC. 

The DRC still produces roughly 70% of the world’s cobalt, making it indispensable for the tech and green-energy industries, despite serious ethical issues.

Are There Alternative to Cobalt?

Despite growing concern over unethical cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, there is still no complete substitute for cobalt as of 2026, though several alternatives are reducing reliance on it. Many electric vehicles now use nickel-rich lithium-ion batteries that contain significantly less cobalt than older models, while lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries, which use no cobalt at all, are increasingly common in buses, affordable EVs, and energy storage systems, even though they offer lower energy density. Researchers are also developing manganese-based cathodes, sodium-ion batteries, and solid-state batteries, but these technologies are not yet advanced enough to fully replace cobalt in high-performance applications. Battery recycling offers another partial solution by recovering cobalt from used electronics and EV batteries, but recycled cobalt still supplies less than 10% of global demand in 2026. Because cobalt plays a key role in battery safety, stability, and lifespan, it remains widely used, meaning ethical sourcing and stronger regulation are still necessary alongside technological innovation.