The Natural Resources Podcast Highgrade Media

Welcome to Highgrade and this podcast series on the responsible sourcing of minerals. Over the last four episodes, we have looked at the main production steps in the supply chain of cobalt - a metal necessary for high-performing batteries, and as such key to support the transition to a future free of fossil fuels.

Today in our final stop, we explore the role of regulators in responsible sourcing. As the public grows increasingly concerned about the human and environmental cost of the products they buy: how should policymakers respond? Our guest today joins us from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, BMZ: Heike Henn is Director for Climate, Energy and Environment.

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.

Welcome to Highgrade and this podcast series on the responsible sourcing of minerals. Starting at mine site, we have followed cobalt through the supply chain.

Today, we'll look into the making of automobiles at a time in which the industry is being transformed by the growing craze for electric cars. Global sales are on the rise, and so is the demand for the cobalt that goes into the batteries that power these vehicles.

The challenge is great: When a single car relies on the inputs from 60,000 suppliers, how can you truly appreciate the ultimate impact of your supply chain? Our guest joins us from Mercedes-Benz: Johannes Danz looks after the sustainability of supply chains.

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.

Our ability to store electricity is central to the ongoing energy transition – and cobalt is a critical input into efficient batteries. But cobalt is a metal tainted by a reputation of human and environmental harm.

Can battery producers reconcile the increasing social appetite for both cobalt and responsible mining?  We are joined by Gillian Davidson, Chair of the Global Battery Alliance.

This is the third episode in our series on responsible sourcing.

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.

Our second episode in this podcast series on responsible sourcing puts the spotlight on commodity traders – the invisible hand moving natural resources around the world.

Traders connect production from artisanal miners in DRC with global customers, and as such they are critical to improving the traceability and sustainability of cobalt supply chains.

To understand the virtues and faults of commodity traders, join our conversation with James Nicholson, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Trafigura.

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.

Are the products we consume responsible for human and environmental degradation?  To answer this question, this podcast series takes us on a journey through the supply chain of cobalt, a commodity that is critical to the global energy transition. 

We start at mine site - but not any mine site. A significant proportion of cobalt is sourced from artisanal and small-scale mines in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where life is tough and often linked to child labour and environmental harm.  To help us unpack the role of artisanal and small-scale mining in the cobalt supply chain we speak with Mickaël Daudin, Deputy Director at Pact. 

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.

In February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine. Oil prices surged overnight – reaching their highest level since 2008. Was this short-term stress or a structural shift? How will current events reshape the global energy agenda? 

To help us look beyond the fog of war, we sat down with Professor Paul Stevens – one of the brightest and clearest thinkers on the subject of energy economics.  Together we make sense of this troubled energy market – and beyond.

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Highgrade Media is a not-for-profit organisation that produces interviews and documentaries that identify, capture and disseminate analysis and insights in the field of natural resources and social progress.

Our mission is to provide open and free access to specialist knowledge and to disseminate good practice and innovation in this field. See www.highgrade.media for our portfolio of published material.

With support from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, through BGR.