"Mining machinery sales in Myanmar may be aggravating human rights abuses," 10 June 2020

Major mining machinery suppliers still appear to lack adequate safeguards in their sales, two years after Swedwatch highlighted alarming environmental and human rights impacts of irresponsible jade mining in Myanmar. In a new report, Swedwatch calls again on Caterpillar Inc., Komatsu Ltd and Volvo Construction Equipment to comply with international human rights standards for doing business in high-risk areas. 

Kachin state in northern Myanmar is home to what has been termed “the world’s longest running civil war”. It also produces 90 percent of the world’s jade gemstones, an industry worth billions of dollars, enriching both the Myanmar military and their opponents the Kachin Independence Army.

Since the early 2000s, an influx of heavy mining machinery has accelerated jade extraction. Irresponsible mining practices have led to serious human rights impacts including deadly landslides and loss of land and livelihoods. The jade industry is believed to worsen acute social issues in the region, including heroin addiction and commercial sexual exploitation. More than ten thousand mining machines were used in the jade mines in 2016, many produced by global leaders Caterpillar, Komatsu and Volvo CE.

The report Still Overlooked – Communities affected by jade mining operations in Myanmar, and the responsibilities of companies providing machinery...revisits the 2018 investigation. Community members explained that the human rights situation had deteriorated further around Hpakant Township, the worst affected area...

Although the situation in Kachin has been well-documented for years, the three companies were unable to show in 2018 that they had conducted human rights due diligence, a core concept of international responsible business standards. When contacted by Swedwatch for this follow up report, only Volvo CE had taken initial steps to initiate something similar to such a process in Myanmar.