Umicore and mining company Glencore have reportedly entered into a long-term revolving agreement for the supply of cobalt hydroxide (cobalt) for Umicore’s battery materials. The cobalt will be sourced from Glencore’s industrial mining operations, KCC and Mutanda, located in the DRC.
Umicore says that it has assessed each operation as fully compliant with its sustainable procurement framework for cobalt which excludes artisanally mined cobalt from its supply chain, as well as any form of child labor. The cobalt units will be shipped to Umicore’s cobalt refineries globally, including the Kokkola refinery in Finland once the ongoing acquisition process is complete.
The company says that the agreement guarantees Umicore’s security of supply for a substantial part of its longer-term cobalt needs for battery materials.
This story uses material from Umicore, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
