In the 21st Century, new supplies of minerals are crucial for high performance industries engaged in the global energy transition, including battery energy storage for the electricity grid and for electric vehicles. High purity grades are indispensable to support the fast-growing demand of advanced technologies.

Aviation and microchip-based technologies also have large requirements for high grade raw materials, as the production of drones, robotics, and automation processes are growing exponentially.

The mining and mineral processing sectors must cover the growing demands of these

industries for high quality raw materials. Not all mineral companies have fully integrated

operations from the mine to the end product to offer in the market.

For most suppliers, the supply chain is discontinuous and the original source of mined raw materials is unclear.

Origination and compliance are often overlooked when raw or pre-processed ore is exported from developing countries with poor compliance to intermediate aggregators in the Middle East or even Europe, and then sold to China, America or Europe for further processing.

Large multinational processing companies often buy from artisanal and small mines (ASM) directly, and export to their process facilities overseas. ASM have been proven not to comply with environmental standards, sound labour practices, and proper corporate governance, and often use child labour and forced labour. Traceability of raw materials for the purpose of confirming and measuring environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues has not been achieved.

Everybody talks about compliance, but raw materials obtained through noncompliant mining operations continue to enter the market.

Full transparency and financial incentives for those who expend time and resources on full ESG compliance and corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs are sorely lacking and vitally needed at this time.

To address this need, AISIVEN ECOMI is proud to collaborate and cooperate with STERN.

Stern has devised its ECO Mining™ certification process, providing compliance infrastructure to mineral supply chain companies that wish appropriate recognition for their compliance efforts and achievements.

ECO Mining™ is based on a star system, where each star represents the achievement of specifically targeted milestones.

A measurable system of compliance linked with raw materials traded in the marketplace will facilitate hedging transactions to assure reliable raw material supplies for downstream industries without sacrificing compliance; broader participation in and fungibility of offtake facilities for compliant mining operations; and greater availability of funding to support the growth and development of compliant upstream and downstream facilities in the mineral supply chain.