Concerns raised over mining companies’ role in battery passport scheme

ERG and Glencore are among founders of ReSource, a proposed joint venture that is also backed by Tesla

Human rights groups have raised concerns that controversial mining companies, including one with a subsidiary under investigation by the UK’s Serious Fraud Office, are taking a key role in a new “battery passport” scheme that counts the electric carmaker Tesla among its key supporters.

The mining companies Eurasian Resources Group (ERG) and Glencore are among the founders of ReSource, a proposed joint venture that is working with several other big companies on making the global car battery supply chain more transparent – giving drivers confidence that the precious metals their car batteries have been mined ethically.