Electronic manufacturing: Deforestation by design

Context

Your company depends on metals like cobalt, tin, and lithium—key to smartphone and laptop production. Surging demand drives aggressive mining, causing deforestation, massive CO₂ emissions, and irreversible harm to ecosystems and indigenous communities.

Dilemma

Do you:
A) Tighten sourcing standards to avoid materials linked to deforestation and require transparent, responsible mining practices—even if this raises costs and limits supply.
B) Prioritize cheap, unchecked suppliers to meet targets.

Summary

Mining has expanded by 52% since 2000, increasingly encroaching on critical rainforests and protected areas. Between 2001 and 2020, mining caused the loss of 1.4 million hectares of tree cover—equivalent to Montenegro’s size—releasing 36 million tonnes of CO₂ annually. While mining contributes less to global deforestation than agriculture or wildfires, its regional impacts are severe, especially in tropical rainforests and Indigenous territories. In the Amazon, mining concessions cover over 20% of Indigenous lands, with illegal gold mining polluting rivers with mercury and devastating ecosystems. Stricter regulations and enforcement are needed to protect forests and vulnerable communities from irreversible damage.

Resources:

• https://www.wri.org/insights/how-mining-impacts-forests