Critical industrial resources

Uncertainty as regards the availability of natural resources increasingly poses a threat to resource processing companies, especially concerning the production of future technologies. Inadequate reliability of planning may result in supply bottlenecks and cause losses to corporations and the national economy.

adelphi and the Institute for Future Studies and Technology Assessment IZT were therefore commissioned by the KfW Group to identify important minerals whose supply to German businesses may become critical in the medium to long term. The research methodology combined a vulnerability evaluation, an assessment of supply and demand risks, and an analysis of governance factors and optional preventative measures. Finally, political and economic conditions that restrict or support resource production and the organisation of supply chains were examined.