Benedikt Sobotka: We have a responsibility towards children in countries where our organization extracts recycleables for the batteries industry.
Hydrocarbons remain the primary supply of energy in 2019. Nevertheless, people in civilized world are now increasingly choosing electric cars, as petrol and diesel engines emit fractional co2 Benedikt Sobotka in the atmosphere and pollute air with nitrogen and sulphur compounds. The number of electric cars will are 130 million in the end of 2030 each home and office will likely use smart devices ran by batteries. Oslo, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Paris, London, Madrid already stated that they will ban all vehicles working on petrol or diesel fuel in central areas. The way the situation is going, batteries will replace the environmentally damaging coal and oil as fuel sources.
Minerals for batteries have to be extracted and processed with robust safety standards, proper working conditions, norms for responsible extraction and business ethics in mind.
Global social responsibility
Take, for instance, cobalt. Over two thirds of cobalt are extracted inside the Democratic Republic in the Congo. Cobalt mining brings lots of employment for folks throughout DRC but a sizable percentage might be tainted by illegal child labour.
In 2017, world leading companies including BASF, Enel and Volkswagen met in the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos to talk about business ethics in minerals extraction for the manufacture of batteries. As a result, the firms came together to found the Global Battery Alliance, with Eurasian Resources Group like a founding member, targeted at prohibiting the usage of child labour and promoting battery recycling to boost the sustainability with the industry.
The CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, Benedikt Sobotka reiterated the business’s commitment to help tackle child labour inside the Democratic Republic in the Congo. He hopes that from the Alliance and collaboration between major companies, international organisations and civil society, the illegal involvement of kids in mining within the battery supply chain will be addressed.
Eurasian Resources Group supports children inside the DRC
Through longstanding partnerships including with the Good Shepherd Sisters and Pact, Eurasian Resources Group is targeted on helping tackle child labour and strengthen child protection norms.
In 2018 and early 2019, ERG continued to guide a lot more than 10,000 students through its educational initiatives inside the DRC.
Benedikt Sobotka, CEO of Eurasian Resources Group, holds that this global battery sector should confer benefits to its participants across the value chain including children and local communities in the DRC.