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A joint report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and International Energy Agency (IEA) says high levels of supply chain concentration and rising trade restrictions are limiting investment and creating real vulnerabilities in critical mineral supplies.

While efforts to diversify sources are gathering pace, investment still falls short of what is needed to keep up with demand, the organisations state.

In parallel, the operational and governance risks that come with mining and processing activities need to be managed more effectively, lest they delay projects, erode trust and cause future disruptions.

OECD and IEA say reliable access to critical minerals has become central to economic security and competitiveness, but market concentration of processing, smelting and refining is acute.

They explain that national and multilateral initiatives to enhance economic security by developing more resilient and diversified critical mineral supply chains will require supply chain transparency to be fully implementable.

Having surveyed 90 companies covering all major critical minerals to compile the 'Enhancing resilience through traceability' report, OECD and IEA determined that responsible business conduct standards, transparency and traceability are important tools to address some of the world's current challenges.

"When applied in a targeted and pragmatic way, traceability can strengthen resilience, derisk investment and support responsible sourcing. By improving visibility across supply chains, traceability helps identify dependencies, verify responsible practices and target interventions where risks persist," the organisations state.

By looking at the lithium and nickel supply chains in Latin America and Southeast Asia, in particular, the report highlights the importance of a tailored approach to traceability. In Latin America's lithium sector, high refining concentration creates opportunities for targeted interventions while Southeast Asia's nickel sector, with its complex ownership structures, is more challenging.

OECD and IEA say reliable supply chain data is at the core of traceability systems and that price floors and similar trade-related measures need verified information on origin and production conditions to direct support toward trusted and responsible producers.

The organisations find, however, that current traceability systems worldwide are fragmented. In practice, a combination of supply chain mapping, mass balance and auditing are often part of wider due diligence efforts, which does support partial visibility but not end-to-end traceability.

OECD and IEA cite the example of Indonesia's Simbara system that can provide a foundation that targeted policy measures could strengthen.

They find that update of traceability by the private sector is uneven and most traceability systems are being developed within individual companies using proprietary tools with limited public disclosure. OECD and IEA find the strongest traceability uptake is among traders and the weakest is among miners.

BARRIERS TO TRACEABILITY

The joint report affirms there are substantial barriers to the uptake of traceability and that more than half of the survey respondents identify costs and lack of interoperability as barriers to setting up traceability systems.

The operation of such systems is further constrained by confidentiality concerns, supplier leverage and data quality concerns.

Half of survey respondents rank regulatory consistency as the top priority for scaling traceability, with a similar share citing shared data infrastructure.

Ownership opacity is also a significant blind spot. Complex and layered corporate structures obscure who ultimately controls key mineral assets, particular...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Committed investment in clean hydrogen has hit the $130-billion-plus mark, driven by global energy security and resilience issues, with 90% of 570 clean hydrogen projects already under construction or in operation.

"Clean hydrogen's no longer a future bet," the Brussels-based Hydrogen Council reported in Global Hydrogen Compass 2026 on Thursday, September 10.

Construction of a capacity of 6.9-million hydrogen tonnes a year is under way right now.

Operational capacity has nearly doubled in the last 12 months, and based on the pipeline, it is predicted that operational capacity will double again in 2027, an upbeat Hydrogen Council CEO Ivana Jemelkova forecast during a global webinar in which Hyundai vice-chair and Hydrogen Council co-chair Jaehoon Chang, Sinopec vice-chair Zhao Dong and Port of Rotterdam Authority CEO Boudewijn Siemons also took part.

The latest report, co-authored with McKinsey & Company and informed by the perspectives of some 70 global CEOs, coincides with shifting geopolitical priorities, which are strengthening hydrogen's role as a "strategic resilience lever".

As governments seek to strengthen energy security, build more flexible economies and support long-term industrial growth, hydrogen is receiving renewed attention for its ability to help address multiple strategic priorities alongside deep decarbonisation, complementing growing electrification and use of renewable-energy sources.

Geographically, China remains the largest market, accounting for more than half of global committed renewable hydrogen capacity.

During the webinar covered by Mining Weekly, Dong's call was for the creation of a global system to facilitate large-scale cross-border green hydrogen trade.

"We need to promote key international standards such as full life-cycle carbon-footprint verification for green hydrogen," said Dong.

Describing hydrogen as the new-energy future, Dong urged all parties to embrace openness and cooperation. "We need to enhance communication and programmatic cooperation in innovation, mutual recognition of standards, and joint investment."

While he was talking, it was reported out of Oslo that Norwegian hydrogen enabler Nel ASA had entered into a framework agreement with Hydrasun to establish dedicated assembly and integration capabilities for the MC Series, Nel's modular and scalable proton exchange membrane (PEM) technology platform. Interesting for South Africa is that PEM is catalysed by platinum group metals (PGMs), which South Africa hosts in abundance.

"We're pleased to be working with Hydrasun to establish an experienced European integration partner for our standardized PEM electrolyser solutions, the MC Series.

"As demand for standardized, modular systems grows, this collaboration enhances our ability to serve key markets while creating greater flexibility and scalability across our production network," Nel PEM operations senior VP Tushar Ghuwalewala stated in a media release to Mining Weekly.

With this partnership, Nel gains an experienced integration partner in Europe, complementing its existing integration setup in the US and widening its delivery capabilities for the European market. Nel's PEM stack production will continue at Nel's Connecticut facility in the US.

Europe now follows as the second-largest market, leading in project count and relative investment growth (+35% since 2025), while the US accounts for about 75% of globally committed low-carbon hydrogen and ammonia capacity.

Siemons described the Port of Rotterdam as having "a nice concentration of the elements that you basically need to build up a new hydrogen market and to go through this energy transition. On top of all, we're close to the sea, and a lot of the hydrogen will either be produced here throug...

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Canadian circular rare earths company Cyclic Materials has officially opened the US's largest rare earth recycling facility in Mesa, Arizona, which can process 25 000 t/y of end-of-life components to create a new domestic source of rare earth materials.

The facility is poised to make its first commercial shipments to US customers later this month.

The Mesa facility marks the world's first commercial-scale deployment of Cyclic's proprietary MagCycle technology, which delivers automated mechanical separation of magnets from end-of-life products, and serves as the front-end of Cyclic's integrated rare earths recovery platform.

The facility is producing rare earth magnet material, which Cyclic calls Mag-Xtract, and critical minerals such as copper, aluminium and steel.

The Mesa facility is an important milestone in Cyclic's buildout of nationwide critical material recovery infrastructure. A new South Carolina rare earth recycling campus is in development, which will combine the company's magnet recovery and rare earth refining platforms on a single site.

Cyclic has built a strong commercial supply network across the US, securing significant volumes of magnet-bearing feedstock through long-term commercial partnerships.

More than 7 000 t of end-of-life material has already been delivered to the Mesa facility.

Cyclic CEO and founder Ahmad Ghahreman expects global demand for rare earths to triple by 2035, driven by AI, automotive, robotics, electronics, energy and defence applications.

Building infrastructure to recover rare earths from end-of-life products is one of the fastest routes to securing domestic supply, Ghahreman states, especially given how geographically concentrated the global rare earths supply chain is.

Notably, Cyclic's new facility was completed just 17 months after first being announced, which Ghahreman says demonstrates the company's repeatable deployment model to establish domestic rare earths supply capacity on an expeditious timeline.

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

Environmental campaign groups lodged a complaint against the European Commission on Tuesday, accusing the EU executive of moving ahead with an overhaul of water protection and management laws without enough evidence.

The complaint is the latest by environmental groups over the European Union's efforts to simplify and scale back policies, a strategy known as the EU "omnibus", which responds to complaints from industries who say burdensome laws hurt their competitiveness with global rivals like the US and China.

The complaint concerns a Commission plan to revise the EU's main water legislation this year, in part in response to concerns by mining and metals companies that say the law's environmental safeguards are delaying permits for new critical raw materials mines and other industrial projects.

In a complaint filed with the European Ombudsman — the EU's independent watchdog — the World Wildlife Fund, the European Environmental Bureau and three other groups said the Commission had failed to sufficiently gather evidence and consult stakeholders before announcing the planned revision.

This failure amounted to maladministration, they said.

"Their cumulative effect amounts to a flagrant deviation from established due process, one that materially affects citizens' rights," the NGOs said. They argued that the EU water laws are not the reason new mines struggle to get permits, and do not need revising.

A Commission spokesperson said it had not yet been notified of the complaint, but that it would continue to engage with stakeholders as it prepares to revise the water laws.

"The Commission has been engaging in a transparent and inclusive dialogue with member states and stakeholders, and is currently assessing the input from stakeholders," the spokesperson said.

The Ombudsman will now decide whether to open an inquiry into the complaint. That process can take a few weeks, a spokesperson for the watchdog told Reuters.

The EU watchdog does not have enforcement powers, but rather makes recommendations that can affect future EU lawmaking, and increases scrutiny of the Commission.

Last year, the Ombudsman obliged the Commission to publicly explain why it had fast-tracked other proposals to curb sustainability laws, and not assessed whether the changes complied with Europe's climate change commitments.

Mine tyre life lengthening that protects environment highlighted at Electra Mining Africa

This audio is brought to you by Endress and Hauser, a global leader in process and laboratory measurement technology, offering a broad portfolio of instruments, solutions and services for industrial process measurement and automation.

The International Standards Organisation (ISO) has verified the important environmental protection benefits of opting for mine tyre life extension solutions rather than purchasing new tyres.

The carbon footprint methodology verified provides measurable data that mining companies can use when reporting Scope 3 emissions, which are by far the largest share of a mine's total carbon footprint.

Last year, 70 mining companies across six regions reported prevented 32 700 t of carbon dioxide (CO2) emission by avoiding the need to manufacture and transport replacement mining tyres earlier than necessary.

The ISO verification is the evolution of a programme that has helped mining operations quantify the environmental value of tyre life extension since 2019.

As mining companies place greater emphasis on understanding emissions across their supply chains, Kal Tire believes reliable measurement will become increasingly important in demonstrating the contribution tyre management strategies can make towards helping mining customers extend tyre life, reduce waste and improve the environmental performance of their tyre operations.

Kal Tire's Mining Tire Group, which is exhibiting at Electra Mining Africa 2026 at Johannesburg's show grounds, services and supplies more than 230 mine sites across five continents.

The group's Maple Program includes ultra repair, retreading and ultra tread for mining tyres and SCS Global Services' validation gives added assurance in the carbon savings calculated from extending tyre life.

"Customers in Zambia are currently making use of the Maple Program," Kal Tire VP Southern Africa John Martin told Mining Weekly at the Canadian company's comprehensive exhibition stand.

Zambia's users receive annual certification of CO2 tonnage saved through the use of particularly ultra-repair technology, using Kal Tire's on-site repair facilities.

"We have customers in Ghana as well," Kal Tire communications director Tracy Cobb added.

Overall, Kal Tire's Mining Tire Group provides mining tyre service and supply to more than 230 mine sites across five continents.

Instead of scrapping tyres immediately and purchasing new ones, a second life is being put into tyre casing, which lowers the total cost of tyre ownership.

"Because the cost of the repair is nowhere near the cost of purchasing a new tyre, by the time that repaired tyre does end its life, you have saved a lot of money," Cobb pointed out.

Part of Kal Tire's service is to ensure that the tyres the company looks after last as long as they possibly can.

"Service providers like ourselves are not always permitted to sell those very large tyres. It's normally a direct supply from a manufacturer to an end user, and so for us, it's not about creating revenue by selling tyres. It's creating the value for the customer by making sure that the customer's operation is more sustainable.

"We very much support this whole United Nations Charter around reuse and we want customers to use fewer tyres and that's part of the sustainability that that we provide to the operations," said Martin.