Case Study: The Monopolized Nature of EV Battery Production

Resource Management and Negotiated Sustainability

The global electric vehicle (EV) industry is expanding rapidly, yet its supply chain exposes serious ethical and sustainability challenges.
A few dominant players control access to essential minerals such as cobalt, creating a monopolized system often characterized by unsafe mining practices, limited transparency, and unequal value distribution — contrasting sharply with the industry’s environmental promise.

At Tafawuud, we see this not only as an environmental concern but as a negotiation and governance challenge.
Sustainable progress requires balancing power, ensuring accountability, and building transparent, equitable, and resilient supply chains that align economic opportunity with ethical responsibility.

Our Approach

Applying Tafawuud’s 7-Step Review Methodology, we use negotiation principles, governance logic, and sustainability design to realign global value systems.

• Complex Negotiation Expertise — Balancing the interests of major corporations with the rights and welfare of local stakeholders.

• Informed Decision-Making — Integrating ethical, environmental, and operational risks into corporate strategy.

• Cultural Intelligence — Managing relationships across borders, sectors, and communities with awareness and precision.

• Operational Optimization — Embedding sustainability into supply-chain management to enhance resilience and long-term value creation.

Key Insight

This case demonstrates how negotiation and structured decision-making can reshape global supply chains.
Tafawuud helps organizations address ethical imbalances, strengthen governance, and unlock opportunities for sustainable growth — ensuring that global progress does not come at the expense of local communities.