Listen to Michael Reckordt, Resource Policy Expert from German organisation Powershift.
We've all heard about the global dilemmas surrounding resources like cobalt, essential for the technology in our mobile phones, but often sourced from regions with questionable human rights records.
The energy transition, the production of batteries, electric vehicles, and the transmission of renewable energy all rely heavily on raw materials, including cobalt, nickel, lithium, and rare earth elements. These minerals are concentrated in a few countries, making them susceptible to geopolitical supply disruptions.
International institutions, including the United States and the European Union, have been working on critical minerals strategies, with Europe's proposed Critical Raw Materials Act currently at a pivotal stage.
In this episode, you’ll hear more about:
“We hope with due diligence laws, with the battery regulation and maybe with a lot of improvement with the Critical Raw Materials Act, there might be a better chance to address not only armed conflicts but also water and land conflicts in the future. But still, as long as we need more and more metals, there will be pressure on local communities.”
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What do China’s new supply chain security and counter-extraterritoriality rules mean for European companies trying to conduct human rights and environmental due diligence? Listen to Katja Drinhausen, Head of Programme Politics and Society at the Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS).
What does meaningful implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive look like in practice? Listen to Julia Otten, Senior Policy Officer at Frank Bold, and Amandine Van Den Berghe, Senior Lawyer specialising in value chains, trade and investment at ClientEarth.
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What role should banks play in society? Listen to Anna Koolstra, Advocacy Manager, Impact and Economics at Triodos Bank
