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Tesla is looking to reduce the amount of cobalt needed in its battery cells, but with the massive production ramp-up, it is expected to still need the large volumes of the mineral going forward. Now Financial Times reports that the deal has been completed and the supply will go to Tesla Gigafactory Shanghai and Berlin. Glencore mines most of its cobalt from the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Cobalt is a controversial mineral due to most of it coming from mining operations in Congo, a place that has historically been affected by conflict and corruption, which has resulted in child labor in some mining operations. Most tech and auto companies using cobalt have taken steps to avoid sourcing from those operations, but it’s a hard thing to track since it changes hands several times before reaching a battery cell.