Featured in Awarding impactful innovators – 01-2020

Is fair lithium from Chile possible?

Batteries, and the raw materials that make them, are a frequent target of public criticism. The high water consumption required for lithium extraction is speeding up the desertification process around the salt lakes of Latin America’s so-called “lithium triangle”, for example. The mining debate highlights general problems with the extraction of raw materials, including copper, crude oil, and lithium, but international companies can still influence extraction methods – and there are plenty of different approaches.

By

pv magazine

13 Jan 2020

Image: Stefan Franz

The headlines – “The dirty truth of the mobility transformation,” “The real cost of electric cars,” and “People die here for our electric cars” – are simply sensational. And stories such as these cast doubt on the sustainability of lithium batteries. Sure, the arguments are plausible: High consumption of raw materials worsens the environment, supply …

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