Investigation Uncovers Pollution Linked to BMW, Renault in Moroccan Mining Villages

"The chain does not start with production in BMW’s factories, but with the extraction of raw materials. Cobalt, which is of great importance for battery production, serves as an example," the manufacturer announces in an advertisement with the slogan "BMW, the greenest car", also claiming that its cobalt would come from "responsible mines", including the Managem company, its Moroccan supplier whose mine is located in the village of Bou Azzer. However, this advertisement contrasts with reality. The investigation "Mining drains poor countries" carried out in Bou Azzer by Reporterre in partnership with the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung, the German radio and television stations NDR and WDR and the Moroccan media Hawamich, following the serious accusations made for years by miners, trade unionists and residents of the region against the cobalt exploitation by Managem.

The Managem mine described as "responsible" is both a cobalt mine and an arsenic mine, a highly carcinogenic product used in insecticides. The company produces around 7,000 tons of arsenic per year, compared to 2,000 of cobalt. Subcontracted miners say they have worked without respiratory protection, exposed to ore and explosive dust. These working conditions are not without consequences for their health: typical skin diseases of arsenic poisoning, silicosis, etc. Questioned on this subject, Managem assures that it takes all the necessary precautions, from air extraction in the galleries "to the wearing of individual respiratory protection". Except that the photos of Bou Azzer published in the company’s own reports prove the opposite. If there should be a risk, it would be limited, according to Managem. The situation of the miners falls under "a denial of the very notion of occupational health. The nature of this arsenical ore is worrying, and it adds to the silica of the rock and the explosives dust to which the miners are exposed," comments Alain Carré, an occupational physician and specialist in miners’ health.

"In such a deposit, there would need to be extremely effective dust capture and the introduction of fresh air, suction devices on jackhammers, cartridge masks with limited working hours for all of this to be bearable for the miners. Not sure that this is feasible or profitable, which perhaps justifies the outright abandonment of mining," he adds. "In a case like this, responsible mining would require that at every stage of mining and ore processing, dust be systematically confined. The residues loaded with arsenic and other toxic metals should also be systematically confined and not infiltrate either the soil or runoff water," recommends Annie Thébaud-Mony, a sociologist and honorary research director at Inserm (National Institute of Health and Medical Research) and specialist in occupational cancers.

Renault, which signed an agreement with the Managem company in 2022 and does not hesitate to highlight its "sustainable supply" of "responsible cobalt" from Morocco, is also involved in this environmental scandal. Like BMW, it buys tons of cobalt from the Moroccan company. However, these two foreign companies have really not carried out a real audit to identify the risks in their supply chain, particularly human rights, health and environmental impacts, and take measures to limit the harmful consequences, as is done in France and Germany. "The cobalt production of the Managem group has been certified according to the criteria of the Responsible Minerals Initiative," by "an Ecovadis evaluation" and "the Managem group is part of the Fair Cobalt Alliance," Renault responded when questioned on the subject. Yet the Responsible Mining Initiative assures Reporterre that it has "no information on the Bou Azzer mine".

On the same subject, BMW, which has been buying cobalt from Morocco since 2020, responds: "In June 2022, representatives of the BMW group visited the Bou Azzer mine. But it was not a detailed examination of environmental and social standards. Overall, our colleagues had a positive impression of the mine and could not identify any notable problems." Except that arsenic levels have been found in the region. Informed, the German manufacturer indicates that it has "requested a full examination from its supplier". It also intends to "demand immediate countermeasures" to improve the environmental and social situation in Bou Azzer.