The Cobalt Institute (CI) is a global non-profit trade association established to represent approximately 70% of the worldwide cobalt production industry. Founded to support the sustainable and responsible production, use, re-use, recycling, and trading of cobalt in all its forms, the CI acts as a central knowledge hub for governments, industry, academia, media, and civil society on cobalt-related issues. Its membership includes miners, producers, manufacturers, traders, and end-users of cobalt and cobalt compounds. The Institute also hosts the Cobalt REACH Consortium (CoRC), which focuses specifically on regulatory matters related to the EU REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals) and CLP (Classification, Labelling and Packaging) regulations.
The CI’s lobbying activities target a broad range of EU policy files, including chemical safety regulations (REACH, SVHC nomination, DNELs, OELs), environmental directives (Water Framework Directive), responsible sourcing and conflict minerals regulation, critical and strategic raw materials policies, and science-based decision-making initiatives. The Institute also engages with policies related to the European Green Deal, industrial innovation, climate and energy, transport, consumer protection, occupational health and safety, and better regulation efforts.
Since its first registration in the EU Transparency Register in February 2015, the Cobalt Institute has maintained a presence both in the UK (head office in Guildford) and in Brussels, facilitating direct engagement with EU institutions. The Institute employs a team of lobbyists who work full-time or part-time, with a total of approximately 11.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) lobbyists shared between the Cobalt Institute and the Cobalt REACH Consortium.
The CI is affiliated with several key organizations, including the European Non-Ferrous Metals Association (Eurometaux), the Critical Raw Materials Alliance (CRM), the Non-Ferrous Alliance UK (NFA), and the European Risk Forum (ERF), allowing it to network and collaborate on shared industry interests.
Financially, the Institute’s lobbying expenditures have ranged from around €200,000 to €300,000 annually in recent years, with a significant portion of these costs attributed to the operation of the Cobalt REACH Consortium, which manages regulatory compliance and dossier preparation under REACH.
The Cobalt Institute actively participates in EU expert groups and working groups such as the Raw Materials Supply Group and the European Parliament group on Competitive European Industry. It regularly meets with EU officials to discuss cobalt-related dossiers, including updates to REACH registrations to ensure compliance with new harmonized classifications and safety standards.
