A human rights group has dragged Apple back to court, accusing the company of knowingly using cobalt and coltan mined by child labour and armed militias in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda.
The Core Accusation
The lawsuit claims:
- Coltan from rebel-controlled mines in eastern DRC is smuggled into Rwanda
- Three Chinese smelters then process it
- The material ends up inside Apple devices
Plaintiffs say Apple’s “clean supply chain” claims are false advertising and want a court order to stop them.
Apple Fires Back
Apple calls the case “completely without merit.” Key points from the company:
- 99% of cobalt in its batteries is now recycled
- Earlier this year, it told suppliers to halt sourcing from DRC and Rwanda because of violence
- Independent audits found zero links to armed groups or forced labour
This is the second time the same organisation has sued Apple on similar grounds — the first case was thrown out by U.S. courts last year.
The battle over conflict minerals in tech is far from over.
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