Determining complicity requires looking at how companies track their raw materials. Many global manufacturers rely on complex tiers of suppliers. In South Africa, artisanal and small-scale mining often operates outside legal frameworks. This "shadow economy" produces substantial amounts of chromium that eventually enters formal supply chains. If a manufacturer does not use rigorous, real-time tracking, they risk buying ore extracted through illegal means.
The issue stems from traceability gaps. A stainless steel producer might buy refined ferrochrome from a legitimate smelter. However, that smelter might have blended legal ore with illegal material from unregulated sites. By the time the metal reaches an EV battery or car component factory, the origin is obscured. This lack of visibility provides a market for illicit miners.
Current auditing practices often fail to catch these discrepancies. Paper-based certifications can be forged. While some companies use blockchain or satellite monitoring to improve transparency, these tools are not yet universal. Without strict, direct oversight of the very first mile of extraction, global brands remain downstream participants in a system that fuels unregulated mining activities.
