The Recent History of Coltan and Its Exploitation

The introduction of new electronic devices like the Playstation 2 and mobile phones caused a massive increase in the demand for coltan, causing prices for the ore to soar.

The Democratic Republic of Congo, which holds 80% of the world's coltan reserves, became the epicenter of this mining rush. The surge in demand and price led to intense conflict as multiple armed groups fought over control of the coltan mining areas, turning the mineral into a "conflict mineral", or a resource that is mined and used to influence and finance armed conflict, human rights abuses, and violence.

Today, coltan is still sourced through ways that utilize forced labor, with many of these laborers being children. Coltan is still a highly desired resource, and with the speed at which our societies are producing new and advanced electronic devices every year, e-waste is up and the finite resource that is coltan is down.