Minespider与谷歌合作实现锡区块链可追溯性

Minspider已与卢旺达锡生产商LuNa冶炼厂和谷歌合作开发了一种基于区块链的工具OreSource，以帮助矿工和冶炼厂追踪有关锡生产过程的数据。该平台将使欧洲锡进口商能够遵守新的欧盟冲突矿物法规。谷歌的参与是为了自己负责任的供应链。

锡是一种冲突矿物。在政治不稳定的地区，它的贸易可以被用来资助武装组织和支持政府腐败。欧盟的新规定旨在确保欧盟锡和其他冲突矿物进口商符合经合组织制定的负责任的采购标准，这也有助于防止矿物贸易为侵犯人权行为提供资金。它将要求供应链中的欧盟公司只从负责任的、无冲突的来源进口该规定所涵盖的矿产。

新规定将于2021年1月生效，将直接适用于600至1000家欧盟进口商，并间接影响到另外500家锡、钽、钨和金的冶炼厂和精炼商。

为了遵守新法律，欧盟将实施五步尽职调查制度，矿产进口商必须遵守这一制度。OreSource旨在促进进口商遵守系统的要求。

通过该平台，冶炼厂可以将相关数据上传到区块链数字证书中。矿产品装运或发票附有QR码，可查阅证书上的资料。有了二维码，进口商就可以核实所有需要的数据，以符合欧盟的规定。

该行业仍不确定如何遵守欧盟冲突矿物法规。OreSource将为我们提供一个工具，以提供所需的信息，并帮助欧洲进口商收集所需的数据，”LuNa冶炼厂可持续发展和供应链尽职调查主管奥莱娜•维阿德纳(Olena Wiaderna)表示。冶炼厂正在获得负责任矿产倡议(RMI)和卢旺达矿山、石油和天然气局(RMB)的支持。

Minespider使用Etherum和分散式文件存储解决方案IPFS创建并将数字证书分为三层，具体取决于数据是公开的、仅供供应链成员使用的还是客户与公司之间的私有数据。

LuNa冶炼厂和Minespider预计OreSource最早将于本月实施。

该项目是在EIT原材料公司今年早些时候授予Minespider的一笔拨款下开发的。反过来，这也得到了欧盟欧洲创新与技术研究所(EIT)的支持。今年4月，这家初创企业还筹集了280万欧元，其中部分资金来自“地平线2020”计划，欧盟委员会将在该计划中选择投资和支持企业，作为中小企业融资工具的一部分。

谷歌将提供行业专业知识，以确保OreSource符合进口商和制造商的要求。谷歌之前曾与Minespider在锡供应链的端到端矿物追溯联盟中合作。该项目于2019年正式启动，与思科、SGS、大众和秘鲁Minsur矿业公司合作，由于其成功，Minespider计划吸纳新成员。该项目在谷歌的2019年负责任供应链报告中得到了提及。

矿产品可追溯性是一个突出的和不断发展的行业。许多初创公司和企业正在开发解决方案，以支持冲突矿产的道德供应链。Circulor最近收到了来自沃尔沃的一笔投资，两家公司一直在合作研发钴的可追溯性。德国工程公司DMT推出了CERA，一种基于区块链的采矿业认证系统。该平台还获得了EIT原材料公司的财务支持，包括大众汽车公司和联合国的顾问委员会。

与此同时，IBM、福特、大众和沃尔沃都是负责采购区块链网络联盟的成员。该倡议旨在从道德上获取用于电动汽车的矿物。

Minspider has partnered with Rwandan tin producer LuNa Smelter and  Google to develop a blockchain-based tool, OreSource, to help miners and smelters track data about the mineral’s production process. The platform will enable compliance with the new EU Conflict Mineral Regulation for European tin importers. Google’s participation is for its own responsible supply chain.

Tin is a conflict mineral. In politically unstable areas, its trade can be used to finance armed groups and support government corruption. The new EU regulation aims to ensure that EU importers of tin and other conflict minerals meet responsible sourcing standards set by the OECD that also help prevent the minerals trade from financing human rights abuse practices. It will require EU companies in the supply chain to import the minerals covered by the regulation from responsible and conflict-free sources only. 

The new regulation, which should come into effect in January of 2021, will directly apply to 600 to 1000 EU importers and indirectly affect an additional 500 smelters and refiners of tin, tantalum, tungsten and gold. 

To comply with the new laws, the EU will implement a five-step system of due diligence work that must be followed by the minerals importers. OreSource aims to facilitate importers’ compliance with the system’s requirements. 

Through the platform, smelters can upload relevant data into a digital blockchain certificate. A QR code that enables access to the information in the certificates is annexed to mineral shipments or invoices. With the QR code, importers can verify all the data needed to comply with the EU regulation. 

“The industry is still unsure about how to comply with the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation. OreSource will give us a tool to provide the information that is required and help European importers collect the required data,” said Olena Wiaderna, Director of Sustainability and Supply Chain Due Diligence at LuNa Smelter. The smelter is getting support from the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) and the Rwandan Mines, Petroleum, and Gas Board (RMB).

Minespider uses Etherum and decentralized file storage solution IPFS to create and separate digital certificates into three layers, depending on whether the data should be public, available only for members in the supply chain, or private between customer and company.

LuNa Smelter and Minespider expect OreSource to be implemented as early as this month.

The project is being developed under a grant awarded to Minespider by EIT Raw Materials earlier this year. In turn, this is backed by the EU’s European Institute of Innovation & Technology (EIT).  The startup also raised