Tag Archives: cobalt

Modern Slavery and Renewable Energy

Australia should approach its renewable energy transition with caution, experts say, amid concerns of labour exploitation in the production of solar panels.

Polysilicon is the most common material used to produce solar panels, and around 45 per cent of the world’s supply comes from Xinjiang, China.

The United Nations says China may be committing crimes against humanity in Xinjiang, with experts accusing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of exploiting its Uyghur Muslim minority into forced labour to make products including solar panels.

China strongly denies allegations of human rights abuses against its Uyghur Muslim population.

Continue reading Modern Slavery and Renewable Energy

Can Blockchain help to break the chains of modern slavery?

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Global supply chains have struggled to deal with poor working conditions including child labour, forced labour and debt slavery. Julien Harneis/Flickr, CC BY-SA

There’s a good chance the device on which you are reading this contains cobalt. It’s an essential metal for batteries in phones and laptops. There’s also a chance the cobalt was mined by slaves. Continue reading Can Blockchain help to break the chains of modern slavery?