Cobalt strings

[Pahapoika]

I absolutely love EB cobalt strings. I have them strung on my passive jazz bass and the tone is incredible. I also have a set of cobalt flats on my fretless that produces a great tone as well. The other day I was reading about cobalt mining if Africa and how children are forced to mine it. This was kind of troubling for to read and it made me think about the strings I use. I just want to know if anyone has the answer to where the cobalt in the strings is sourced from. I'm not trying to be some politically correct blowhard but this does concern me.
Please tell me that Ernie Ball doesn't buys from cobalt countries that exploit people like this.
thank You.

 

[DrKev]

I don't know if Ernie Ball (or ANY company) can say specifically where their Cobalt comes from. Partly because companies like EB buy from suppliers who themselves are just part of a larger supply chain. While much of the world's cobalt does from Africa (DRC specifically), it is mined in 20+ other countries too; China, Russia, Australia and the US being important producers. But also note that almost all the cobalt in the world is a byproduct of copper and nickel mining. The DRC is the world's 3rd largest copper producer. That's where their cobalt comes from. So we can ask the same question about the copper all around us too; the wiring in our homes and cities, lap tops, phones, any electrical motor or generator, the copper in our guitar pickups and our frets, cables, amplifiers.

The issues of child/forced/dangerous/underpaid labor are real and are mining industry-wide issues and NOT specific to cobalt, or any one country, and applies to many technologically important metals found in most of the devices and appliances all around us. If we were to forgo products that contained any metals from a questionable source we'd be forced to give up modern life entirely. And yes, that's an entirely unsatisfactory and uncomfortable answer.

 

[TheAntMan]

Totally agree.