Fossil fuel expansion in DR Congo: Trafigura signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February 2025 with the DRC Ministry of Hydrocarbons, including commitments to support expansion of the country’s hydrocarbons industry. The proposed oil projects threaten areas inhabited by Indigenous peoples and local communities who rely on forests and wetlands for survival. These initiatives risk repeating the destructive legacy of oil extraction in Muanda, where five decades of operations led to environmental degradation, poverty, pollution and legal disputes. Trafigura faces strong opposition from more than 160 Congolese, African and international civil society groups under the coalition Notre Terre Sans Pétrole (Our Land Without Oil), who argue that there is no social license for the company’s involvement in the DRC. 

Trafigura’s involvement in DRC oil expansion is particularly deeply concerning due to the country’s ongoing conflict, rooted in colonialism, ethnic tensions and competition over resources. The violence has killed more than 7,000 people and displaced 7.3 million people. Over 100 armed groups operate in the DRC, many profiting from illegal mining of cobalt, gold and diamonds. The eastern region, where oil exploration is planned, is particularly unstable, with foreign backed militants seizing resource-rich areas. Against this backdrop of militarised zones and land conflicts, Trafigura’s oil development risks worsening this crisis, benefiting elites while harming the most vulnerable. The lack of strong governance and accountability measures in place to prevent abuse strengthens this concern, exposing Trafigura further to the risk of complicity in the perpetuation of conflict, displacement and exploitative extraction from a highly unstable region. 

Trading Russian oil: Despite a 2022 public commitment to stop buying Russian crude following the invasion of Ukraine, Trafigura continues to maintain business ties with Russian oil companies, including Rosneft. In September 2022, Kpler reported that Trafigura brokered 300,000 barrels of oil produced by Rosneft and sold it to Prax Group (a medium-sized British oil company). Additionally, Trafigura owns a 24.5% stake in Nayara Energy, which has reportedly purchased 1.8 million barrels of Urals oil from Trafigura post-invasion. These actions contribute to Russia’s ability to finance its war efforts, including war crimes and human rights violations in Ukraine. 

Dirty diesel: In 2016, Public Eye  exposed Trafigura for selling diesel and gasoline in Africa with sulphur content up to 378 times higher than the European limit of 10 parts per million, along with other banned toxins like  benzene and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. This substandard fuel contributes to severe air pollution and health risks in growing African cities, including respiratory illnesses and premature death. A 2017 BankTrack briefing challenged banks financing Trafigura to show how they responded.

Probo Koala toxic waste scandal: In August 2006, Trafigura illegally dumped toxic waste on board the Probo Koala at open air sites around Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast). This resulted in the deaths of sixteen people and more than 100,000 requiring medical attention following exposure to the hazardous substances. Over 15 years later, communities still suffer from long-term health impacts  such as throat cancer, miscarriages, skin issues, and migraines. Still yet, water sources were also contaminated, resulting in destroyed crops and increased food insecurity. The hazardous waste site in  Akouédo, Ivory Coast, was finally closed in 2019. However, Trafugura has never fully disclosed the precise contents of the toxic waste they dumped.

Carbon emissions: As a major oil trader, Trafigura’s climate impact is significant. The company declared emissions of 228 mtCO2e in 2023, but according to a 2024 Public Eye analysis, its indirect emissions from the use of traded commodities is around three times higher. 

DRC fossil fuel involvement: Trafigura’s involvement in oil and gas exploration in the DRC threatens to unlock new fossil fuel reserves in the ecologically sensitive Congo Basin, which is home to vast rainforests and peatlands that serve as critical global sinks. Civil society groups warn that developing these projects would release significant amounts of stored carbon, seriously undermining international climate goals and directly contradicting the Paris Agreement. 

The DRC has positioned itself as a “solution country” by prioritising the sustainable management of its forests and wetlands. Yet, by pursuing oil expansion in one of the planet’s most vital ecosystems, Trafigura not only undermines its own stated climate commitments, including decarbonisation and a target of “climate neutrality by 2050”, but also jeopardises broader efforts to limit global warming and the protection of biodiversity.

Impacts of fossil fuel extraction in DRC: Trafigura’s Memorandum of Understanding with the DRC Ministry of Hydrocarbons on supporting expansion of the country’s hydrocarbons industry also connects the company to extensive nature risks. Oil extraction is planned in the Congo Basin, the world’s second-largest forest basin, second only to the Amazon rainforest, and in the world’s largest tropical peatlands. Gas exploitation at Lake Kivu runs the risk of gas eruptions, harmful algae blooms, and contamination of the water supply with “washing water” - the water used to clean raw gas at the power plant that contains hydrogen sulphide, which is toxic to fish and other animals. For more information see the DRC Oil & Gas dodgy deal.

Impacts of Castellanos mining project in Cuba: One of Trafigura’s most significant and lasting impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity has been from the Castellanos metals mining project in Pinar del Rio, Cuba. The mine is operated by Emincar (Empresa Minera del Caribe), a joint venture between Trafigura (49%) and the Cuban state-owned Geominera (51%). The project, which GlobalData called the largest surface lead mine in the world, has been identified as a source of heavy metal pollution, and according to EJAtlas has resulted in widespread environmental degradation, including loss of biodiversity, air pollution, soil contamination, soil erosion, surface water pollution as well as groundwater depletion and mine tailing spills. These impacts have disrupted local ecosystems and communities, leaving behind a legacy of environmental harm that persists long after extraction activities end. 

Impacts of toxic waste dumping: Trafigura remains implicated in one of the most notorious cases of toxic waste dumping of this century. The 2006 Probo Koala incident involved the illegal dumping of some 500 cubic meters of toxic waste in Côte d’Ivoire. This resulted in pollution to air, water and soil. The hydro and geological system suffered from a large-scale disturbance, while floods (river, mudflow and coastal) increased. A Greenpeace/Amnesty investigation concluded that “in the absence of effective law enforcement, one company acted to secure corporate profit without regard for the human and environmental costs. That company was Trafigura.”