Research project commissioned by dormakaba on the traceability of cobalt honored with "HSG Impact Award 2025"

Every year, HSG honors outstanding research with the HSG Impact Award. The jury, consisting of practitioners and university members, evaluates applications from various disciplines of HSG research. The study "Tracing Cobalt in Fragmented Supply Chains", commissioned by dormakaba, was featured in a video by HSG on the occasion of the award ceremony on May 9. 

Stephanie Ossenbach, Group Sustainability Officer of dormakaba, says: "We are delighted that the research team has been honored with the HSG Impact Award. It confirms that the study we commissioned from the University of St. Gallen is not only scientifically sound but also has a socially relevant impact. The findings have helped us to better understand a highly complex topic – and to take concrete steps towards improvement. This is exactly where our partnership with Save the Children Switzerland comes in: protecting children in the supply chain and supporting their development in a holistic manner."

dormakaba sought to learn more about the traceability of cobalt in fragmented supply chains related to the electronic components used in its and other companies' products. Therefore, dormakaba consulted with human rights experts and the Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen to conduct a study. The most important results of the study show that leading experts and organizations agree that no company can claim that the cobalt contained in its products does not originate, in part, from the DRC.

Based on the findings, the company took several actions such as joining the Responsible Minerals Initiative. In June 2024, dormakaba then agreed to a partnership with Save the Children Switzerland, part of the world's leading independent child rights organization. This partnership includes financial support for a pioneering project aimed at overcoming child labor in cobalt mining in the DRC, dormakaba is the first company in Europe to support this project. Over a period of ten years, dormakaba will invest around one million Swiss francs to support the  project's goals.

Save the Children's affiliated organization, The Centre for Child Rights and Business, is responsible for implementing and coordinating the project on site. Children and young people working in cobalt mines are reintegrated into school or training programs through the project to provide them new opportunities. This project offers monthly living stipends, covers all educational and possible medical costs up to the age of 16, and provides each child with a contact person who supports the family and looks after the child's interests.

The commitment of dormakaba was also highlighted in a TV documentary that aired on Swiss television.