Development of a trusted supply chain for Australian battery minerals and products

Project completed by Future Battery Industries CRC which receives allocation of MRIWA funds.

The Challenge

Ethical and sustainable sourcing of battery materials is becoming an increasingly important factor in the entire battery supply chain ecosystem, especially for EV consumers.

Australia has a unique opportunity to utilise our leading position in raw battery mineral export to capitalise on current global opportunities through the battery value chain.

Proposed Solution

The project seeks to connect customers to the sources of battery minerals by developing tools and platforms to mediate transparency within the supply chain to manage any ethical and sustainable sourcing risks and be compliant with a changing regulatory landscape with two main objectives:

• Provenance: an Australian battery mineral and processed chemical database using geochemical fingerprinting tools for identifying material provenance.
• Traceability: a secure digital platform to visualise, communicate and manage supply chain information.

Proposed Benefit to WA

The project will ensure WA suppliers have the opportunity to maximise market access, share and value, particularly where end users are seeking premium products sourced from responsible production jurisdictions.

It will introduce new independent scientific methods for suppliers to manage risks associated with unsustainable suppliers by differentiating products through the supply chain.