A new policy brief “Kachin, a Sacrifice Zone for the Green Transition,” released by EarthRights International, brings to light the environmental destruction and human rights violations resulting from the mining of heavy rare earth elements (HREE) in Kachin State, northern Myanmar.

Testing carried out by EarthRights International, BRIDGES, and academics from Naresuan University, Thailand, showed that leachate from a mining site out of use for 10 years continued to emit toxic heavy metals such as arsenic and cadmium far above safe levels for human exposure.

According to open-source data, all official imports of HREEs from Myanmar are made by companies registered in China. EarthRights International specifically indicated the China Rare Earth Group, which it claims to have a "monopoly" on the processing of China’s HREE, and has subsidiaries and associated companies that import HREE from Myanmar.

As the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO) and its armed wing, the Kachin Independence Army (KIA) effectively seized control of all HREE mining areas in Myanmar in 2024, EarthRights International calls for the companies with supply chains containing rare earths from Kachin to be hold accountable. Companies should either from such supply chains or treat the KIO/A as a legitimate governance actor and engage with it in order to mitigate human rights impacts.

The Business & Human Rights Resource Centre invited China Rare Earth Group, which was mentioned in the report, to comment on the report; the company did not respond.