jan 1, 2017 - Rockwood (now Albemarle) signed an ‘Agreement for cooperation, sustainability and mutual benefit’ with Atacameno, which guarantees them to receive percentage of lithium sales

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Crucially, in 2012, Rockwood signed an ‘Agreement for cooperation, sustainability and mutual benefit’ with one of the SdA communities, Peine, and an equivalent agreement with the Council of Atacameno ˜ People in 2016. According to these agreements, the community and the Council receive a percentage of the sales of lithium and
potassium salts. Gundermann and Gobel ¨ (2018) understand it as part of the corporate concept of ‘shared values,’ according to which companies should share their economic gains as a way of reducing confrontation with local communities. Such agreements form part of communities’ strategies to regulate and monitor mining sites. However, there are strong local critics who see them as an exchange of natural resources for money, and a strategy to co-opt community leaders, in a context of strong asymmetry.

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