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Does lithium mining harm the inhabitants of the Atacama Desert in Chile? Repeated reports have been published – but for a reliable overall picture the facts are not available. Franziska Killiches, an expert for sustainable raw materials procurement at Volkswagen, therefore set out to investigate the matter herself.

Story: "Fact-finding expedition to the lithium desert of Chile"
So dry that hardly anything grows: the Atacama Desert in Chile.
Story: "Fact-finding expedition to the lithium desert of Chile"
Raw material extraction with the help of the sun: the proportion of lithium increases from basin-to-basin.
Story: "Fact-finding expedition to the lithium desert of Chile"
Seeking dialogue: Franziska Killiches (right).
Story: "Fact-finding expedition to the lithium desert of Chile"
Pumping stations like these pump the lithium-containing brine to the surface.