With a handheld device linked to a server in the cloud, the agent scans the barcode, uploading data including the sealed bag’s weight, when it was tagged, and by whom.
Whether the new digital approach to tracing metals such as tantalum and cobalt succeeds is of keen interest to companies, especially carmakers like Tesla, General Motors and Ford, as regulators on both sides of the Atlantic put pressure on end-users to prove their supply chains are clean. SMB Chief Executive Ben Mwangachuchu also said digital systems could be corrupted if the government agents who tag bags conspire with smugglers to enter incorrect data from the outset.
Asked by Reuters for comment, Tesla did not respond, Apple declined to comment and GM and Ford both referred to filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission which outline measures they take to promote responsible sourcing – such as support for audits of smelters.
SMB turned to the new traceability scheme, known as the Better Mining program, after leaving ITSCI in December.At the SMB pit near Rubaya, miners in green and blue gumboots wash their ore in fast-flowing streams and haul it a few hundred meters to the tagging point, which has been moved closer to the pits to make monitoring easier.
In southern Congo, RCS has partnered with companies including Ford and IBM to trace cobalt, a component in lithium-ion batteries. That system uses blockchain, the technology behind bitcoin, to create a tamper-proof record.
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