The fear is not that we're going to run out, it's that we're getting cobalt directly from the suffering of others, so called "Conflict Minerals" - child labor,

The fear is not that we're going to run out, it's that we're getting cobalt directly from the suffering of others, so called "Conflict Minerals" - child labor, slave labor, etc. It's the same story with Toyota and Neodymium, Intel and Tantalum, and so forth. Dodd-Frank made these companies aware of the problem within, and these companies are actively working towards removing Conflict Minerals from their supply chains, even if that means buying direct from miners as regional traders and smelters prove unreliable sources of Conflict-Free minerals. That's the whole story.