Blockchain systems and ethical sourcing in the mineral and metal industry: a multiple case study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to examine blockchain's roles in promoting ethical sourcing in the mineral and metal industry.Design/methodology/approachIt analyzes multiple case studies of blockchain projects in the mineral and metal industry.FindingsIt gives detailed descriptions of how blockchain-based supply chain networks' higher density of information flow and high degree of authenticity of information can increase supply chain participants' compliance with sustainability standards. It gives special consideration to blockchain systems' roles in overcoming the deficits in the second party and the third-party trust. It also demonstrates how blockchain-based supply chain networks include outside actors and configure the supply chain networks in a way that enhances the empowerment of marginalized groups.Practical implicationsIt suggests various mechanisms by which blockchain-based supply chain networks can give a voice to marginalized groups.Originality/valueIt demonstrates how blockchain is likely to force mineral and metal supply chains to become more traceable and transparent.

Prospects for the Development of the Russian Rare-Earth Metal Industry in View of the Global Energy Transition—A Review

Global energy transition trends are reflected not only in oil and gas market dynamics, but also in the development of related sectors. They influence the demand for various types of metals and minerals. It is well-known that clean technologies require far more metals than their counterparts relying on fossil fuels. Nowadays, rare-earth metals (REMs) have become part and parcel of green technologies as they are widely used in wind turbine generators, motors for electric vehicles, and permanent magnet generators, and there are no materials to substitute them. Consequently, growth in demand for this group of metals can be projected in the near future. The topic discussed is particularly relevant for Russia. On the one hand, current trends associated with the global energy transition affect the country’s economy, which largely depends on hydrocarbon exports. On the other hand, Russia possesses huge REM reserves, which may take the country on a low-carbon development path. However, they are not being exploited. The aim of this study is to investigate the prospects for the development of Russia’s rare-earth metal industry in view of the global energy transition. The study is based on an extensive list of references. The methods applied include content analysis, strategic management methods and instruments, as well as planning and forecasting. The article presents a comprehensive analysis of the global energy sector’s development, identifies the relationship between the REM market and modern green technologies, and elaborates the conceptual framework for the development of the REM industry in the context of the latest global tendencies. It also contains a critical analysis of the current trends in the Russian energy sector and the plans to develop the industry of green technologies, forecasts future trends in metal consumption within based on existing plans, and makes conclusions on future prospects for the development of the REM industry in Russia.

Overcoming imbalances in the provision of natural resources for the development of the World Economy: maintaining a minor role of Russian TNCs

The article shows that although the threat of rapid depletion of mineral resources in the world is largely exaggerated, imbalances in their distribution and consumption are gradually increasing. On the one hand, globalization intensifies the competition of countries for resources, as the global development of recent decades shows. On the other hand, globalization mitigates imbalances through foreign trade and direct investment. The article examines the role of Russian investor companies in these processes. The research is based on corporate materials, official statistics and the most authoritative sources of industry information. The contribution of Russian oil and gas TNCs, companies specializing in the construction and operation of nuclear power plants and hydroelectric power plants, as well as leading investors in the field of non-ferrous metal industry was studied. A distinctive feature of Russian TNCs is the limited geography of their foreign business, especially in the countries of the global South. Usually we can see the preference of a narrow circle of countries which had long history of good political relations with Russia. At the same time, reliance on purely economic considerations is less pronounced than that of leading Western competitors. As a result, external shocks (whether political cataclysms in individual countries in the case of the oil and gas sector or sharp fluctuations in the international conjuncture in the case of non-ferrous metal industry) can greatly affect the scale of foreign activity of Russian TNCs. For the time being, it is more likely that we can still talk about the initial stages of internationalization of Russian business, which has little effect on the nature of global development with its investment activity. The article also shows that since in the future the scarcity of land and water resources will increase in the global economy, additional opportunities will open up for Russian companies to strengthen our country’s international positions. However, so far the activity of Russian TNCs is not observed there because it is limited mainly by the increase in grain exports to developing countries.

Inverted Hierarchies on the Shop Floor: The Organisational Layer of Workarounds for Collaboration in the Metal Industry

Workarounds, or practices that deviate from the official pathway to a target, are frequent phenomena in the organisational context. With respect to collaboration, they highlight an area of mismatch between normative versus lived work practices, and therefore depict a relevant research area deeply rooted in computer supported cooperative work (CSCW). Building on the theory of hierarchical opposition by Louis Dumont and empirical data collected through ethnographic research at a company classified as a small- and medium-sized enterprise (SME) in the German metal industry, this paper addresses the emergence of workarounds in collaborative work processes by setting them into the wider organisational context. The organisational layer of analysis reveals that workarounds emerge to cater for inversed information power relations and information asymmetries in the shop floor setting, which require communication to flow against the hierarchical slope between planning and execution functions. By applying an organisational lens to the concept of workarounds, this paper contributes a novel empirical analysis that confirms the value of workarounds as a source of insight into collaborative practices.

MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER IN EXPERIMENTS ON RECLAMATION OF LOPARITE ORE DRESSING TAILINGS

Introduction. This paper discusses the effectiveness of using clarified municipal wastewater (CMW) and wastewater sludge (WS) to form stable phytocenoses at the waste storage facilities of the rare metal industry in Murmansk Region. The restoration of the vegetation cover at tailing dumps is limited by the low content of organic matter and associated nitrogen, and the low bioavailability of plant nutrients (K, Ca, Mg, P). The use of WS and other ameliorants of organic nature is a type of chemical amelioration aimed primarily at improving the edaphic properties of man-made soils. Methods. We examined the loparite ore dressing tailings sampled in the operating field of the tailing dump of a rare metal industry enterprise in the center of the Kola Peninsula. In the course of the study, we determined the suitability of the man-made soil for reclamation. To form seeded phytocenosis in a laboratory experiment, seeds of meadow fescue (Festuca pratensis Huds.) were used. The laboratory experiment involved the introduction of CMW, WS, a mixture of WS with silica clay into the soil, and a check. Analysis of the soil and plants was performed using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry. The quality of seeded cenosis was assessed according to the following parameters: green biomass, plant height, and projective cover. Results. The preliminary assessment of the man-made soil suitability for reclamation showed the following: the loparite ore dressing tailings have unfavorable characteristics both for the natural regeneration of the vegetation cover and biological reclamation. The introduction of ameliorants had a stimulating effect on the growth of terrestrial biomass during the formation of phytocenosis under laboratory conditions. The results of leaf analysis confirmed the effectiveness of the surface application of organic additives with regard to the loparite ore dressing tailings. Conclusion. In the laboratory experiment with the simulation of surface application, the stimulating effect of unconventional ameliorants (clarified municipal wastewater, wastewater sludge, and its mixture with silica clay) on the supply of nutrients to the reclaimed loparite ore dressing tailings was confirmed. The investigated ameliorants can be recognized as suitable for the biological reclamation of the dressing tailings of the rare metal industry, which does not require costly earthing and the application of protective polymer coatings.

PECULIAR FEATURES OF NON-FERROUS METAL INDUSTRY AND METALWORKING IN PROTOTOWN CENTRES IN CENTRAL PREDURALYE

In her research M. G. Ivanova raised various questions concerning the Middle Age history of Udmurtia. One of them is the question of origins of prototown settlements which were craft, trade and political centres on the territory. The Idnakar settlement used to play the key role among the prototowns of the day. In her work a lot of attention is paid to craft activities characterization, among others non-ferrous metalworking. Very similar cultural and historical processes may be observed on the territory of Central Preduralye - its Udmurt and Perm areas. Today’s research shows that metal workers in Central Preduralye produced copper alloys, cast ingots and exported these as trade goods. Alongside furskins, metal as a strategic raw material was one of the most sought-after trade items. Local artisans made some impressive achievements in non-ferrous metalworking - metal casting, gold-work, and copper smithy. Non-ferrous metal industry and metalworking, traditional among the Finno-Ugrian population, was much less dependent on craft centres of large feudal states than thought previously. However, it was clearly under the influence of these centres. Local production of various everyday items and decorations using non-ferrous materials is confirmed by many traces of mass craft production in prototown centres, and in Idnakar in particular. It is brightly manifested by the large number of specialized workshops that have been found across the Perm Region in recent years. Today it is beyond any doubt that there were in Central Preduralye regional centres of copperware production - particularly of cauldrons - as well as a peculiar Bulgar-Kama gold-work school whose items have peculiar unique features. Thanks to large-scale research at key Middle-Age sites, our views changed dramatically on specific features of metalworking in Central Preduralye and the import ratio on these territories among the unearthed Middle-Age artefacts.

Unlocking the Sustainable Development Path of China’s Nonferrous Metal Industry Based on Collaborative Innovation

The sustainable development of an industry is an important topic of technological innovation. To unlock the path dependence of industrial development, it is critical to identify the evolution law of the industrial collaborative innovation network. Taking China’s nonferrous metal industry as an example, this paper establishes two collaborative innovation networks from the time and space dimensions, respectively. The networks cover both the macroenvironment and the microinnovative subjects of the industry and fully consider the collaborative relationships between these subjects. Through multilevel and multidimensional analysis, the authors drew the following conclusions: the macropolicies and technology paradigm can create a window of opportunity for the industry, which directly drives the breeding of new industries and the transformation and upgrading of traditional industries; the interaction between the macroenvironment and microinnovative subjects leads to the differentiation of the industrial innovation path; the provinces can enter the first echelon of interprovincial innovation collaboration and realize sustainable development of the industry through the unlocking path, which consists of path continuation, path expansion, path implantation, and path diversification.