BMW in trouble because of suppliers in Morocco
A cobalt mine belonging to the Moroccan royal family is causing trouble for BMW. Investigative reporters discovered arsenic levels in the surrounding area that were hundreds of times too high. The operators are also said to be less than scrupulous about protecting the workers. The car manufacturer needs the raw material for batteries.
BMW says it is seeking clarification following a report of environmental and health and safety violations at a cobalt mine in Morocco. The company has approached the supplier Managem and requested additional information from the company, said a BMW spokesperson. "If there is any misconduct, it must be remedied." The BMW spokesperson went on to say that the first allegations against Managem had already arisen in the summer. At the time, the company had provided BMW with documents that looked credible. The environmental certificates of the mine operator were up to date, he added. An inquiry to Managem requesting a statement initially went unanswered.
The "Süddeutsche Zeitung", NDR and WDR reported that there were serious violations of environmental and occupational health and safety regulations at the mine in Morocco. For example, significantly excessive levels of arsenic were found in water samples. In addition, Managem is not complying with international standards for the protection of workers and is taking action against critical trade unions.
Dried-out lakes with white residues
Managem is majority-owned by the Moroccan royal family and, according to its own information, operates a number of mines in several African countries. Cobalt is needed for electric car batteries, among other things. By far the largest part of the world's cobalt deposits are located in the Congo, where child labor still occurs, especially in small mines. For this reason, BMW no longer sources cobalt from the Congo, said the BMW spokesperson. The Munich-based company sources around a fifth of its cobalt requirements from Morocco; the rest comes from Australia.
According to the reporters, numerous catch basins around the mine could contain arsenic, which is apparently released when the cobalt is stored and processed with water. This leaves behind dried-out lakes with white residue. When it rains heavily, these overflow and pour into a small river that connects the mine with villages in the valley.
BMW is now reevaluating its relationship with its cobalt supplier in Morocco, Managem, due to the environmental and safety concerns raised in recent investigations. Despite initially providing reassuring documents, Managem's operations in Morocco have been linked to dried-out lakes with white residues and potentially harmful arsenic levels, posing an environmental pollution risk to nearby villages.
Source: www.ntv.de
