Eurobattery Minerals stands for responsible mining, modern mining under rational and good conditions for humans and the environment. Responsible mining means that we care about labour rights, the environment, and democratic standards, and we are actively working towards the implementation of traceability in mining.
We are a Swedish mining company. Up to now, 70 to 80 per cent of the global cobalt demand comes from Congo, where some 50.000 children work in poorly managed and secured mines. Responsible mining means stopping Europe’s dependency on minerals from these mines. Responsible mean providing raw materials for electromobility and clean energy that are genuinely fair and traceable. For Eurobattery Minerals, responsible also means conducting operations while considering environmental considerations and social responsibility for employees and people who live and work near mining sites.
Recycling is very important – we should work hard to recycle all that is possible to recycle, and more money needs to be spent on this area. But even if all used batteries are optimally recycled, that doesn’t even cover 20 percent of the demand. Looking further ahead, it will cover even less in the future. So, recycling should be there, but it can only be a (small) part of the solution. We need more mines in our backyards to cater for the skyrocketing demand!
Responsible and sustainable mining not only forms the foundation of Eurobattery Minerals’ entire business model but also represents a key priority for the European mining industry. The stringent regulations for mining in Europe and its work environment laws mean that mining operations conducted in this part of the world are favourable for the climate and people. Moreover, several collaborative projects are underway in Europe to reduce further the industry’s climate impact in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
For Eurobattery Minerals, sustainability includes all aspects of the concept; the environmental, social, and economic perspectives. Specifically, it concerns conducting operations while considering ecological considerations and social responsibility for employees and people who live and work near mining sites.
Let’s put it like this; it’s a necessity to increase our self-sufficiency when it comes to critical raw materials. That’s an absolute priority for Europe to keep its competitive position in the world. It’s also a necessity to be able to achieve our climate targets. What we know is that at Eurobattery Minerals, we are working and will continue to work hard to provide responsibly mined battery minerals from Europe and, as such, contribute to Europe’s self-sufficiency!
Investing in a more responsible mining industry across the globe is very important. However, we need to source more raw materials within our region to secure supply. In addition to this, Europe don’t only produce very little minerals, but we make us even more dependent from third countries as the processing of the minerals are also taking place outside of Europe. Based on that, we must open more mines in Europe and processing plants to cater for our needs.
The European Commission is discussing the introduction of a battery pass that provides information on the history of the battery. In the future, car manufacturers will get into trouble when they tell their customers that they don’t know exactly where the raw materials for their batteries come from. We will provide real evidence of the origin of our critical minerals and the circumstances of their exploration and mining. Our minerals are sourced in Europe – under western democratic standards respecting and implementing labour rights, fair pay and environmental conditions. And we can prove it. That said, yes, it’s possible to trace minerals.
I’d like to change the perspective. Suppose we don’t source responsible and decrease our dependency on minerals from countries with poor working and environmental conditions. In that case, the human and environmental cost any electric car owner will pay is enormous.
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