Mineral Raw Material Supply Chain Transparency and Traceability: Does Provenance Matter in the Supply Chain?

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleResearch

Abstract

Raw material supply chains are complex systems. They build on the presence of economically mineable mineral commodities that will undergo several steps until they are finally being used as consumer products. Trustworthiness into the transparency of a supply chain is of increasing importance, both to upstream and downstream companies. Any deviation from best-practice and quality standards in mining, processing and production is critically looked at by consumers. Therefore, certification systems and proof of origin concepts have emerged within the past years, aiming at providing transparency to supply chains. The analytical proof of origin for mineral raw materials could be beneficial to certification schemes in several ways. It represents the least corruptible method of provenance analysis as it relates directly to the chemical composition of the raw material. Other methods, such as documents, tracers, or barcodes, can be outmanoeuvred in one way or another.

Details

Translated title of the contributionTransparenz und Rückverfolgbarkeit in der Lieferkette von mineralischen Rohstoffen: Welche Rolle spielt die Herkunft der Rohstoffe?
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)594-597
Number of pages4
JournalBerg- und hüttenmännische Monatshefte : BHM
Volume167.2022
Issue number12
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 12 Sept 2022