By the numbers
Minerals like cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel and zinc are required in large quantities to produce renewable energy technologies – from wind turbines and solar panels to electric vehicles and battery storage. Demand for these minerals is expanding as companies race to produce the technology needed to support the energy transition. But mining companies’ human rights due diligence is not keeping pace with expanding exploration, increasing the risk that the transition fuels further abuse in this already troubled sector. Communities and CSOs are bearing the brunt of the abuse, with almost 2/3 of all allegations concerning human rights abuses against them.
103
companies
Total number of companies tracked
6
minerals
Cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel, and zinc covered in the tracker
495
allegations
Human rights allegations related to extraction of transition minerals (2010-2021)
1/3
attacks on HRDs
Portion of allegations in the tracker which included an attack on HRDs
Purpose
This tracker seeks to improve the human rights practices of companies producing the minerals vital to the renewable energy and electric vehicle sectors by shedding light on the key human rights risks in the geographies where they operate, and the human rights policies and practices of the most important companies in this sub-sector. To this end, users can:
- Understand who the biggest producers of six key minerals needed for the low-carbon transition are, and where they operate;
- Explore the key human rights risks related to mining of these minerals, including key reports by partner organisations shedding light on egregious abuses;
- Identify whether these companies have human rights policies in place;
- Track hotspots where human rights allegations have been raised, find details and companies involved.
For more information on how the data was collected, please our methodology.
Find a company
Find a company mining transition minerals to identify whether it has a human rights policy, and whether its activity has been linked to human rights allegations and attacks on human rights defenders. This tracker includes companies and allegations covered by our global and regional research. For further details on allegations, download the full data set below.
Latest analysis
We carry out regular deep-dive analysis of our global data, as well as key mining regions and the companies operating within them, shining a light on emerging issues and highest-risk countries and minerals.
Global Analysis 2021
Global Update analyses eleven years of allegations, from 2010 to 2021, and points to key environmental and social issues related to extraction
"You can't eat lithium"
Briefing exploring community consent and access to information in transition mineral mining exploration in Europe and North America
Análisis global 2021
La última actualización global ahora en español - latest Global Update now available in Spanish.
Who should care about the human rights record of transition minerals mining companies?
Mining companies must first and foremost prevent abuse in their projects. But abuse related to transition minerals extraction impacts the whole renewable energy value chain. Renewable energy companies and their investors must demand clean supply chains for these essential minerals. Governments must insist on corporate liability if companies persist with abuse in their operations or supply chains.