exclusive
There is apparently significant environmental damage in the area around a cobalt mine in Morocco. This is now also shown by a review commissioned by BMW. The car manufacturer still wants to continue to source raw materials for its electric cars from the mine.
The Munich car manufacturer BMW admits that there are environmental problems in the area around the Bou Azzer cobalt mine in Morocco. This is the result of a so-called environmental audit that BMW commissioned. The inspection shows “sometimes high arsenic concentrations in waste and water collection systems on the mine site itself and in the immediate surroundings.” The auditors were neither able to establish nor rule out a connection to mining operations.
The reason for the review was a report by NDR, WDR and Süddeutscher Zeitung, which reported, among other things, massively increased arsenic limits in a river below the mine.
“Immediately need for action”
Accordingly, samples taken by the reporters in the river showed an arsenic concentration of more than 18,000 micrograms per liter. The World Health Organization (WHO) arsenic limit for drinking water is just ten micrograms per liter. At the time, scientists said there was an “immediate need for action.” In 2020, BMW signed a contract worth 100 million euros with the Moroccan mine operator Managem. This provides for the delivery of cobalt, which BMW needs to build its electric car batteries.
In a statement, BMW announced that the mine operator had implemented construction measures in the course of the reporting to prevent water and dust from the mine from entering the environment. For this purpose, among other things, new water basins were built and drainage ditches were dug. The riverbed was also cleaned of sediment.
Miners complained
Photos that NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung show that the Managem company carried out modifications to the mine immediately after the report, which apparently continue to this day. According to BMW, suppressing the dust emanating from the mine is also a goal. Gravel, among other things, is used for this purpose.
Another audit revealed minor violations in compliance with social standards. NDR, WDR and Süddeutsche Zeitung, together with French and Moroccan media partners, reported on serious violations of labor and social standards. The reporters spoke to numerous active and former mine workers and trade unionists on site. According to BMW, these allegations have not been confirmed.
Elevated arsenic levels
Wolf von Tümpling from the Helmholtz Center for Environmental Research (UFZ) explained that it was hard to imagine that the high arsenic concentrations below the mine were not caused by cobalt mining. “It would be important to carry out measurements again during and after the next rainy season in order to determine whether the improved dams also ensure the necessary retention of arsenic during the rainy season.”
This data should then be made public. The scientist also suggested putting up signs along the river “to discourage the population from consuming it as drinking water at the moment, until it has been definitively clarified.”
Dozens of people continue to live right next to the mine. Urine samples showed elevated arsenic levels in a local resident. It is unclear whether BMW or Management informed the villagers about the results of the audit. A corresponding request from NDR, WDR and Süddeutscher Zeitung left Management unanswered. It is also unclear whether residents will receive financial help to relocate to another region.
Height Health hazard through arsenic
Experts like Miriam Saage-Maaß, who is responsible for business and human rights at the European Center for Constitutional and Human Rights (ECCHR), believe BMW’s concessions do not go far enough. She and other experts point out the high health risk posed by arsenic.
“BMW’s answer is definitely too light-hearted for me,” said Saage-Maaß. “The arsenic content in drinking water measured by independent scientific sources is anything but a trivial offense and, based on all experience, indicates long-standing and structural deficiencies in the environmental and health protection requirements of the mine operators,” said the expert.
She calls for the audit reports to be disclosed. This is the only way to regain lost trust, especially when it comes to environmental standards in the supply chains of the German automotive industry.
According to the company, withdrawing from the supply relationship with Managem in Morocco is currently out of the question for BMW. In a statement, BMW said a package of measures for lasting improvements in the area of water management was being developed. The concrete implementation will be “followed up by the BMW Group”.
BMW refuses to publish the audits because they would provide “deep insights into internal business processes.”