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Clean energy technologies such as solar panels, wind turbines, batteries, energy grids and electric vehicles (EVs) are important for the shift to fossilfree renewable energy.

Such technologies rely on so-called ‘transition minerals’, like lithium and nickel, the extraction of which is accelerating rapidly worldwide. Many transition minerals are being mined in the Global South, often in the territories of Indigenous and rural peoples. In Argentina, Indonesia, Brazil and South Africa, among other countries, cases of transition mineral mining and processing resemble the worst injustices of the fossil fuel era, with evidence of human rights abuses, and social and environmental harms. The report ‘Renewing Injustice?‘ examines the role of 23 Dutch companies and 7 Dutch financiers in transition mineral supply chains by mapping their links to mining in the Global South, specifically the four cases above. By connecting supply chains and financial flows with their human rights, social and environmental impacts in  transition mining communities, we aim to increase transparency and show how companies and financiers avoid accountability. This research reveals that Dutch companies and financiers are actively involved in global mineral supply chains. They can be linked to human rights, social and environmental abuses in their value chains, and are failing to abide by international standards of business and human rights. The need to transition to renewable energy and low carbon economies is as important as the need to create a more inclusive and equitable world, now and for the future. The authors call on policymakers, companies, and financiers to change course to prevent repeating the injustices of the past. They must take action to ensure a just energy transition that is grounded in the full protection of human rights and the environment.

Links:
Rapport: Hernieuwd onrecht?