RAID in collaboration with African Resources Watch published in March 2024 a detailed report titled "Beneath the Green: A Critical Look at the Environmental and Human Costs of Industrial Cobalt Mining in DRC."
The report found that the rivers, lakes, streams, groundwater, and wetlands near the DRC's cobalt and copper mines are severely polluted by mining activities. The mining companies in the study were all large European or Chinese multinationals.
Chinese companies and China loom especially large in this study as China accounts for about 60 percent of global passenger electric vehicle sales and is the biggest global consumer of cobalt with more than 80 percent being used to manufacture rechargeable batteries. About 65 percent of global refined cobalt is produced in China-based facilities. Chinese investment now backs about 70 percent of the DRC's mining sector.
