As the global landscape of mineral sourcing becomes more volatile, companies in every sector need well-defined strategies for their supply chains.
Ask most executives to name their top cloud providers or logistics partners, and they’ll likely have an answer ready. But when it comes to where their lithium, copper, or rare earths come from, chances are they won’t know. This seemingly harmless knowledge gap is becoming a growing business risk that executives, managers, and shareholders alike need to focus on.
From smartphones and electric vehicles to solar panels and fighter jets, modern life runs on critical minerals. However, few companies outside the mining sector have a plan for sourcing them. In a world reshaped by tariffs, export controls, and resource nationalism, that’s not just shortsighted—it’s reckless.
THE GLOBAL RULES HAVE CHANGED
Supply chains built for efficiency are running into a new geopolitical reality. After the U.S. government enacted new tariffs on Chinese graphite, China’s leaders placed export controls on gallium and germanium. In the background, the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has disrupted the flow of uranium and nickel, while governments in South America move to nationalize mineral wealth.
Governments are treating access to minerals the same way they treat oil or semiconductors: an issue of national security. Nowhere is that shift more visible than in the U.S. government’s recent move to take a nearly 50% stake in MP Materials—the only rare earth miner and processor currently operating at scale in the country.
The current mineral sourcing landscape presents new volatility, new rules, and new pressure on companies to rethink how they secure what’s beneath the surface of their products.
