铝和钢的生产需要用到大量的铝土矿和铁矿。随着电动汽车的转型加速,对这两种材料与包括钴、镍、锂、锰、锌和铜在内的其他关键材料的需求也会增加。部分这些矿物的产地存在武装冲突、暴力、强迫劳动或其他侵犯人权和破坏环境的行为,而且对这些矿物的开采往往会加剧这些现象。
An equitable supply chain requires ongoing, proactive, and reactive due diligence processes. Automakers can leverage their position as major mineral buyers to drive up mining standards that safeguard the environment and the rights of Indigenous Peoples, workers and local communities.
Responsible mineral sourcing also entails ensuring greater transparency and disclosure on the minerals used in automakers’ supply chains, their risks and their impacts, from mining to smelting and refining all the way through to manufacturing.
Finally, automakers need to reduce the demand for primary materials, which can be achieved through interventions such as increased recycling, material efficiency strategies, decreasing the size of EV batteries, and research and development into less mineral-intensive battery chemistries.