The Japanese charity ACE (Action against Child Exploitation) is to begin a project which will use the blockchain traceability platform Enection to help understand the supply route of cobalt and prevent child labor. The chief aim of ACE is to eradicate child labor worldwide and to progress this project, it’s partnering with Japanese electricity firm Minden, which will provide the blockchain know-how.
As Ledger Insights has previously reported, unethical and non-environmentally friendly practices are frequently used in cobalt mining. Globally, around two thirds of the metal resource of this industry is found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The topic has received press attention for child labor, wages as low as $0.75/day, and dozens of preventable deaths.
Given cobalt’s significance in the production of products such as smartphones, major corporations such as Apple are keen to avoid being associated with unethical supply chains. Hence, many large corporates have been receptive to using blockchain technologies as one solution to address the issue.
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