Kamala Thiagarajan

Opinion | It’s time Asia reckoned with lithium-ion batteries’ sustainability problem

Asia can lead the green energy race and improve safety standards by phasing out lithium-ion batteries in favour of sustainable alternatives

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A firefighter walks near the debris at the site of a burnt lithium battery manufacturing factory in Hwaseong, South Korea, on June 25 after an explosion killed 22 people. Photo: AP

Kamala Thiagarajan

Published: 8:30pm, 1 Jul 2024

The recent tragic explosion at a lithium battery manufacturing facility in South Korea that killed 22 people should be a wake-up call to the world.

The Aricell factory housed an estimated 35,000 battery cells on its second floor, where they were inspected and packed. More batteries were stored elsewhere. While the cause of the explosion is unclear, lithium-ion batteries’ flammable properties are well known.

Lithium-ion batteries can produce dangerous levels of heat, short circuit easily and can cause fires that are hard to extinguish. That’s why aviation authorities across the world have banned them being shipped as cargo or in checked-in baggage aboard passenger flights.

Typically used in electric vehicles (EVs), such batteries have been hailed as a way to steer us towards a petrol-free future. Many even consider the energy they provide green. That’s ironic, because investigations have revealed that lithium-ion batteries have been linked to environmental degradation as well as human rights abuses.

For years, mining companies have been extracting billions of dollars worth of lithium from the Atacama region in Chile and in Argentina, where this mining has deeply affected indigenous communities. In China, graphite production for lithium-ion batteries has caused severe pollution.

Cobalt, another key ingredient used in ensuring the stability of lithium-ion batteries, is also mined at great cost. For example, child labour is rampant in the mining industry in the Democratic Republic of Congo, which produces 70 per cent of the world’s cobalt.