Mercedes-Benz Plans To Reduce Usage Of Cobalt In Lithium-Ion Batteries By 10 Per Cent

The Mercedes-Benz electric offensive is a key component of the strategic focus "Ambition2039" and a prerequisite on the way to carbon neutrality. Responsibly mined and processed raw materials provide the foundation for a sustainable Mercedes-Benz electric vehicle fleet. Mercedes-Benz is taking a comprehensive approach across the whole battery technology chain - from research and development to series production. The cell is at the very heart of the battery and mastering its chemistry is therefore critical.

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Mercedes-Benz is working with IRMA and RCS Global on a step-by-step approach for dealing with particularly challenging local situations.

The company insists on the use of strong standards for sustainability, making the industry-wide recognized "Standard for Responsible Mining" of the "Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance" (IRMA) one of the key criteria for supplier decisions and supplier contracts within raw material supply chains. The standard is in the early stage of adoption by the industry, a process Daimler seeks to accelerate. In the company's contracts, partners will need to commit to working within their own supply chain to source exclusively from raw material suppliers who are audited in accordance with the IRMA mining standard. The supply chains will in the future also be regularly monitored.

Markus Schafer, Member of the Board of Management of Daimler AG and Mercedes-Benz AG; responsible for Daimler Group Research and Mercedes-Benz Cars COO said, "Mercedes-Benz's clear development goal is to significantly increase the range of future batteries through advances in energy density, to advance the production maturity of future battery technologies, to significantly reduce charging times, and to further reduce the use of critical materials. In the coming generations of battery cells, the cobalt content is already being reduced to less than 10 per cent."

The standard is in the early stage of adoption by the industry, a process Daimler seeks to accelerate

Mercedes-Benz AG is taking a pioneering role with a comprehensive approach that promotes the socially acceptable and environmentally sound extraction of cobalt and lithium. The company insists on the use of strong standards for sustainability, making the industry-wide recognized "Standard for Responsible Mining" of the "Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance" (IRMA) one of the key criteria for supplier decisions and supplier contracts within raw material supply chains. The standard is in the early stage of adoption by the industry, a process Daimler seeks to accelerate. In the company's contracts, partners will need to commit to working within their own supply chain to source exclusively from raw material suppliers who are audited in accordance with the IRMA mining standard. The supply chains will in the future also be regularly monitored.

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Already in 2018, Mercedes-Benz commissioned the auditing and advisory firm RCS Global to establish transparency over the complex cobalt supply chains behind battery cells and to audit these at every stage in accordance with OECD Due Diligence. More than 120 suppliers were identified and 60 audits were conducted after a corresponding risk assessment. As things stand at present, there are currently no cobalt mines certified in accordance with IRMA's Standard for Responsible Mining. Cobalt is one of the raw materials in batteries that is subject to intense criticism in terms of human rights. Mercedes-Benz is therefore working with IRMA and RCS Global on a step-by-step approach for dealing with particularly challenging local situations. This approach will be taken with a limited number of cobalt mines in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, auditing them against a series of specific sets of requirements in the IRMA Standard for Responsible Mining. In addition to the human rights aspects, the environmentally friendly mining of raw materials and other key aspects relating to the consequences of industrial mining are examined.