Responsible Sourcing
Responsible sourcing is a core commercial and ethical requirement of the REEM ecosystem — not an optional add-on.
Responsible sourcing is a core requirement
Rare-earth elements and other critical raw materials are essential to electrification, renewable energy, advanced manufacturing, defence, and other strategic industries. Their supply chains are complex, often opaque, and exposed to environmental, social, governance, and geopolitical risks.
REEM ASBL approaches responsible sourcing as a core commercial and ethical requirement of the REEM ecosystem — not an optional marketing layer.
Frameworks we align with
- OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas
- Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) assurance and assessment frameworks
- ISO 14001 environmental management principles
- EU Critical Raw Materials Act and related strategic-autonomy frameworks
- UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights
What responsible sourcing covers
- Originator and refiner due diligence
- Chain-of-custody documentation
- Human-rights expectations across the supply chain
- Environmental management and ecosystem impact
- Grievance and remediation mechanisms
- Transparent reporting and verifiable disclosure
- Independent audit and assurance pathways
Digital provenance
Where appropriate, responsible-sourcing data may be linked to digital provenance records — supporting verifiable, asset-level traceability across the lifecycle from originator to industrial user. This is intended to make the supply chain more legible to auditors, regulators, and downstream users without exposing commercially sensitive information unnecessarily.
Participation
Producers, refiners, custodians, auditors, technology providers, and industrial users are invited to engage with REEM ASBL on the development and adoption of responsible-sourcing standards.
Contact the Association to participate.