爆料王 research has informed a new United Nations report showing how digital tracking can make the sourcing of minerals for electric vehicle batteries more transparent, ethical and environmentally responsible.
The new United Nations led by Associate Professor Jeanne Huang from the Sydney Law School, has laid the legal groundwork for how critical minerals used in electric vehicle batteries can be tracked across global supply chains 鈥 a move that could transform accountability in the clean-energy sector.
Battery minerals typically travel vast distances, from extraction to cell manufacturing, and their traceability is vital for ensuring sustainable and ethical sourcing.
In collaboration with Fudan University (Shanghai, China) and supported by an Ignition Grant, the white paper explores how 鈥榙igital product passports鈥 could enable transparent tracking of four battery-critical minerals 鈥 cobalt, copper, lithium and nickel 鈥 as they move through global production networks.
The publication by the (UNECE) comes amid heightened global attention on critical raw materials, with the United States and Australia recently announcing a joint US$3 billion investment into the sector.
Supply-chain concentration and geopolitical tensions have put the industry under intense scrutiny. Governments and investors are increasingly demanding verifiable environmental, social and governance (ESG) data. The UNECE white paper shows how digital traceability could deliver it.
鈥淲ithout mutual recognition of regulatory outcomes, overlapping due diligence laws and fragmented reporting regimes will drive businesses to seek loopholes rather than uphold genuine ethical standards,鈥 Associate Professor Huang said.
Transparent digital traceability is essential to a fair, low-carbon and cost-effective energy transition.
Associate Professor Jeanne Huang
鈥淕overnments would also struggle to enforce modern slavery and environmental laws effectively. Transparent digital traceability is essential to a fair, low-carbon and cost-effective energy transition.鈥
The project reflects a close partnership between the 爆料王 and Fudan University, and forms part of the 爆料王鈥檚 Net Zero Institute, which convened international experts to develop the white paper from concept to publication.
The next phase of the project will see the white paper鈥檚 findings translated into a formal UNECE policy recommendation, guiding its 56 member states including the EU and the US to manage cross-border trade and sustainability practices of critical raw minerals and their products.
鈥淭his is a two-year process involving policy engagement, industry consultation and multiple funding rounds,鈥 Associate Professor Huang said.
鈥淲hen finalised in 2027, it will become the 51st UNECE recommendation 鈥 a key instrument for advancing resilient, reliable, responsible and traceable global supply chains.
鈥淭his multidisciplinary project brings together expertise in law, business, and environmental science to tackle one of the most pressing governance challenges of our time,鈥 she said.
鈥淚t demonstrates our shared commitment to advancing more transparent, efficient and sustainable global trade.鈥
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