The Cobalt Supply Chain

Tools: HTML, CSS, Vanilla Javascript (with modules like leaflet)

For more than a century, the Democratic Republic of Congo has been foundational in the development of modern technologies.

Rubber for car tires, copper for electrical wiring, and even the uranium used in the Manhattan Project—all of them came from the mines of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Yet, very little of material benefit from these resources has ever trickled down to its people.

Today, the DRC is the supplier of another key natural resource—cobalt, which is essential in all battery-powered electronics. 70% of cobalt used in all global Electric Vehicles, Smartphones, Laptops, and more come from the DRC, mined by men, women, and children in extremely hazardous conditions1.

View my full storymap following the supply chain of Cobalt from the DRC here.