New analysis has identified 276 allegations of human rights abuses against companies mining minerals, including cobalt, copper, lithium, manganese, nickel and zinc, which are used in the renewables industry.
The data has been captured in Business & Human Rights Resource Centre’s Transition Minerals Tracker.
The tracker found that 276 human rights allegations recorded against companies over the past 10 years (2010-2020), with 45% of the allegations relating to impacts on communities.
These include intimidation and attacks on people, civil society organisations and their leaders.
Impacts range from effects on livelihoods, forced relocation and protests, to allegations of silencing critics through threats and intimidation, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said.
The tracker found that environmental harm to communities is common, with over a third (38%) of allegations (106) relating to access to water or pollution of water sources.
“This is especially tragic given that these minerals feed an industry seeking to tackle climate change through more responsible use of natural resources,” stated Business & Human Rights Resource Centre.
The analysis found that 18 companies account for four in every five (80%) of the allegations, while the remaining abuses are “spread widely across the sector”, suggesting companies’ systems to prevent abuse are “insufficient and require urgent strengthening”.
One in every five allegations are related to corruption or tax avoidance, consistent with the historical governance issues that have afflicted the mining sector, the Business & Human Rights Resource Centre said.
The centre’s natural resources and human rights programme manage Jessie Cato said: “The urgent transition to clean energy will stall if it is built on the abuse of communities and workers.
“This research highlights the scale and scope of harm created by the booming transition minerals sector, on which so many of our hopes rely.
“Companies, investors and governments have an urgent task to transform their business models, or expect resistance, suspensions and delay.
“Getting this right, as the boom in transition minerals intensifies, is essential to companies’ long-term profitability, as well as the shared prosperity of communities and workers.
“Mining companies must prevent abuse in their projects.”
Cato said renewable energy companies and their investors “must demand” clean supply chains for their essential minerals.
“Governments must insist on corporate liability if companies’ persist with abuse in their operations or supply chains.”
Cato said the company’s fresh data “points to the new sector of ‘transition minerals’ repeating the mistakes of the old mining companies””.
“If we are to achieve a just transition to net zero-carbon economies, there has to be a transformation of the business model, through investor action, government regulation and business incentives.
“If green energy is to be clean energy, it must learn from the mistakes of the past, and move forward in a rights respecting way.”