Legislation to Prevent Child Labor in Cobalt Mining for Green Energy
New legislation introduced by Rep. Chris Smith aims to prevent minerals key to green energy in the U.S. from being extracted with child labor in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly focusing on cobalt used in electric vehicle batteries sourced from the DRC. The bill seeks to block cobalt extracted with child or forced labor from entering the U.S. market, as Chinese companies dominate the cobalt supply chain and profit from unethical labor practices.