On 9 September 2026, Apple announced the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. While millions of consumers are lining up to buy the new devices, many others are protesting and boycotting their release over concerns about Apple’s involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) because it uses cobalt in its batteries.
How did this start?
Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) traces back to the 1994 Rwandan Genocide and Mobutu’s collapse. During the genocide, Hutus targeted Tutsis, many of whom fled to the DRC, heightening tensions with local communities and fueling ethnic conflict. Meanwhile, Mobutu Sese Seko’s waning influence, poverty, abuses, shortages, and conflict led Western nations to withdraw support. His embezzlement of public funds and aid further weakened his reputation and domestic backing. When he refused to resign, Uganda and Rwanda invaded from October 1996 to May 1997, ousting him. Mobutu fled to Morocco, where he died months later. His fall did not end the conflict, which has killed over five million people, making it one of recent history’s deadliest. Congolese people have since endured immense suffering, including conflict-related deaths and abuses involving neighbouring countries such as Rwanda: genocide, sexual violence, brutality, and unjust trials. As poverty increased, the Congolese mining industry became highly exploitative as international companies competed for the country’s natural resources, worsening conditions for local communities.
What do iPhones have to do with Congo?
Smartphones require batteries to function. Modern smartphones use lithium cobalt oxide batteries that retain a charge and are essential components of smartphones, including iPhones. However, cobalt is a relatively scarce chemical element, found in only a limited number of locations worldwide, with the largest known reserves located in the DRC. With more than 60% of the world’s cobalt coming from the DRC, many international technology companies, including Apple, have relied heavily on the country’s mines to source the cobalt required to power their phones.
What is the problem with Mining in Congo?
Cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) poses significant risks. Informal mines are often controlled by warlords and rely on children working in unsafe conditions. The M23, the largest external armed group, operates a regular mineral-smuggling route to Rwanda valued at more than $1 billion annually. Artisanal miners produce 10%-25% of global cobalt and 17%-40% of Congo’s, more than in any other country. Since artisanal cobalt is cheaper, companies avoid miners’ salaries and large-scale mine financing. Though technically illegal, artisanal mining persists at most industrial mines, where poverty wages increase production. Displaced by expanding concessions, thousands lack other livelihoods and accept almost any work to survive, perpetuating unsafe conditions.
Children are especially vulnerable: militias and commandos abduct, traffic, and recruit them to work in mines, then take their meagre earnings to fund their operations. Mining also poses significant health and safety risks. Many Congolese workers lack adequate protective equipment and are exposed to toxic cobalt through handling or inhalation, increasing the risk of asthma, pneumonia, cardiovascular problems, dermatitis, and congenital disabilities. Artisanal miners often dig by hand without supports or ventilation, leaving them vulnerable to pit collapses that bury or crush them under rock and gravel. Such incidents are common, but many reports never reach audiences beyond the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Mining in the Congo violates human rights and severely damages the environment. Millions of trees are felled, while mining dust increases air pollution and toxic effluents contaminate water. Cobalt remains toxic and unstable after production. If a cobalt battery undergoes thermal runaway, an internal chemical reaction, it can ignite uncontrollably. Water, flame retardants, and the battery casing cannot stop the fire; it must burn out, releasing toxic fumes.
Mining and Tech Companies
In 2010, the United States required companies to verify that certain minerals originated from mines in Congo that were free from militia control. Cobalt was excluded from this requirement despite ongoing human rights abuses and concerns about mining practices, and it has not been officially added. Few companies track cobalt origins, and tracing it from the mine to the finished product is difficult because armed guards restrict access to many Congolese mines.
In 2017, Apple said it would temporarily halt cobalt purchases from artisanal mines in the DRC over humanitarian concerns, including child labour, but hoped to resume if conditions improved and child labour ended. In 2023, Apple announced plans to use 100% recycled cobalt in Apple-designed batteries by 2025. In 2024, the DRC filed criminal complaints against Apple subsidiaries, accusing them of using conflict minerals. Apple denies wrongdoing and says it holds its “suppliers to the highest standards in industry”.
What should we do as consumers?
The conflict in the DRC shows how everyday products can connect to human rights abuses thousands of miles away. Although cobalt mining provides income for local communities, demand for the mineral is associated with hazardous working conditions, exploitation, and serious human rights concerns. These harms are embedded in global supply chains that deliver advanced electronics to consumers. Consumers should recognise the labour behind the goods they purchase. While individuals cannot resolve the challenges associated with cobalt mining in the DRC, their purchasing decisions can influence demand. By holding companies accountable, consumers can encourage transparent sourcing, stronger worker protections, responsible alternatives, and recycling.
In April 2026, Apple stated that it “now uses 100 per cent recycled cobalt in all the batteries it designs and 100 per cent recycled rare earth elements in all magnets”. Its iPhone disassembly robot separates batteries for specialist recyclers to recover cobalt and other materials. This reduces reliance on newly mined cobalt but does not erase the human cost associated with its supply chain over the years. Before replacing a working phone with the latest iPhone 18 Pro or Pro Max, consider whether an upgrade is necessary. Extend the life of phones, purchase refurbished devices, repair damaged products, and recycle electronics responsibly to reduce demand for newly extracted resources. Responsible consumption does not require giving up technology; rather, it involves making more considered choices about the products we buy.
So the next time we reach for a new iPhone, we should also ask: Who made it, what resources did it take to produce it, and what happened along the way?
