The world’s top cobalt miner, Glencore, is investing in UK’s electric vehicle battery start-up Britishvolt as part of a long-term supply deal, Kallanish learns from the companies.

The undisclosed investment reflects Glencore’s commitment to support partners in meeting their requirements for essential battery ingredients, explains David Brocas, head cobalt trader at Glencore.

“As the mobility and energy transition accelerates, so does future demand for battery materials such as cobalt, copper and nickel. Glencore is already a leading producer and supplier of these metals, helping to underpin our ambition of achieving net zero total emissions by 2050,” he adds.

The companies, which announced the deal in separate statements on Tuesday, did not reveal details on the long-term supply agreement either.

Yet, they said the partnership will focus on the supply of responsibly sourced cobalt. Glencore uses blockchain technology to ensure a responsible, sustainable and transparent sourcing of the battery material, mostly produced in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Artisan mining in the country has long been related to human rights and environmental violations.

“This strategic partnership aligns perfectly with our ESG principles, including ‘applying best practice wherever possible’ as well as ‘assessing labour, human rights and ethical procurement performance of our suppliers’,” comments Britishvolt’s ceo Orral Nadjari.

The executive highlights that the “major milestone” locks in supply and derisks the battery gigafactory project in Northumberland, northeast England. The company says it’s on track to kick start large-scale production of lithium-ion batteries in the UK in late 2023.

The start-up is confident the UK is the right place for its investments because of the strength of its automotive and energy industry, and expertise and history in industrial and academic battery research and development.