Apple cracks down further on cobalt supplier in Congo as child labor persists

Washington Post:

Apple said it has temporarily stopped buying cobalt mined by hand in Congo while it continues to deal with problems with child labor and harsh work conditions.

Last year, Apple pledged to clean up its cobalt supply chain, but the technology giant said it wanted to avoid hurting the Congolese miners by cutting them off. Mining provides vital income for hundreds of thousands of people in what is one of the world’s poorest countries. Now, Apple says it has stopped — for now — buying cobalt from artisanal mines.

Cobalt is essential for the lithium-ion batteries found in laptops and smartphones, such as the iPhone. Sixty percent of the world’s cobalt supply comes from Congo.

That last line is the “rock and a hard place” of Apple’s position. They need cobalt. The majority of cobalt is in the Congo. The Congo uses child labor. That labor may be the only work the people of the region can get.