THE CONGO
There is a frenzy taking place in the Congo to extract as much cobalt as quickly as possible.
The Cobalt Frenzy
This rare, silvery metal is an essential component of every lithium-ion rechargeable battery made today. It is also used in a wide array of emerging low-carbon innovations that are critical to the achievement of climate sustainability goals.
More than 70% of the world’s supply of cobalt is mined in the Congo, much of it by tens of thousands of children. The conditions are toxic, brutal, and lethal.
Foreign mining companies treat the Congo like a toxic dumping ground, contaminating the water, air, and earth.
Our device-driven lives and “green” revolution have been built upon a human rights and environmental catastrophe in the Congo.
Imagine Foundation wants to change that.
Our Mission
We are using all forms of media to raise awareness of the plight of the Congolese people who mine our cobalt.
We are working with diligent and courageous organizations on the ground to help remove children from cobalt mines and keep them in schools.
We are tackling the root causes of poverty by strengthening local mining communities, expanding access to education, promoting alternate livelihoods, and increasing household income.
We are working with global stakeholders in the cobalt supply chain, from mining companies to consumer-facing tech and EV giants to take responsibility for conditions in their cobalt supply chains.
We are establishing the first-ever independent, third-party system of human rights and sustainability standards for ethical cobalt mining that companies can use to ensure their cobalt supply chains are clean.
And we are continuing to conduct academic research through major international universities to document the realities of cobalt mining in the Congo. This research – such as robust estimates of child labor prevalence and rigorous supply-chain tracing – are the best tool to advancing real change on the ground with policy makers and stakeholders.
With your help, we can do all this and more…
CONGO Project
