Sectors / 02
Critical minerals & rare earths
We trace who mines, processes and owns the material in your supply chain, and show where concentration or listed ownership leaves you exposed.
What is changing, and what it means for you.
What is changing
- China licenses exports of key rare earths and magnet materials, and can widen those controls at short notice.
- The US forced-labour entity list now reaches aluminium and copper as well as polysilicon.
- EU rules on critical raw materials and batteries require due diligence back to source.
Who it affects
Importers and traders of metals, manufacturers that depend on magnets or battery materials, and businesses moving physical cargo between jurisdictions.
The problem it creates
The supplier on the invoice is rarely the source. Ownership by a listed or state-linked entity often sits one or two tiers back, and customs, customers and lenders increasingly ask for proof of where material came from.
What Meridian does
We trace material from supplier to smelter, refinery or mine, identify who owns each link, and grade the evidence for every step so you can see what is proven and what is assumed.
Different businesses, different first steps.
Each starts with a defined scope and a fixed fee, set out in writing within 24 hours.
If you are
Importing metals or mineral products
You cannot say which smelter or refinery stands behind your supplier, or who owns it.
You receive: Each supplier traced towards source, owners identified and screened, and exposure graded against forced-labour and sanctions lists.
If you are
Building products with magnets or battery materials
A licensing slowdown in one country could stop your production, and you do not know where.
You receive: Which components depend on which material and origin, where alternatives exist, and what to secure first.
If you are
Trading physical cargo
A counterparty, vessel or route could carry sanctions or ownership risk you cannot see.
You receive: Counterparty, ownership, vessel and route tested before the deal closes, in five working days.
Not sure which fits? Describe the situation
Start today at a fixed fee.
Paid upfront, delivered to a fixed scope, and credited in full against any Meridian engagement within 60 days.
If you are about to commit to a supplier
Supplier Risk Check
One supplier screened for ownership, sanctions and listed-entity exposure, including the UFLPA Entity List, set out in a two-page note.
If a customer has sent an EUDR or CBAM questionnaire
Customer Questionnaire Response
We complete one questionnaire, up to 40 questions, from the documents you supply, with the evidence behind each answer.
If your EU customer wants deforestation evidence
EUDR Supplier Evidence Pack
Supplier guide, declaration template, plot and geolocation data sheet, evidence index and model questionnaire answers.
Payments are processed securely by Stripe. For business customers; no VAT is charged. Terms of sale
Three questions, answered with evidence.
010203What we read.
- Mine of originLicence, ownership and the OECD Annex II risks at site.
- Concentrator and smelterIdentity and RMAP status of every processing step.
- Chain of custodyEach transfer to export, and any conflict-affected or high-risk area on the way.
Standards & regulation.
The frameworks we work to in this sector.
Conflict minerals disclosure (3TG).
Due diligence on 3TG imports.
Responsible minerals benchmark.
Strategic materials and concentration.
Cobalt, lithium, nickel, graphite.
Smelter and refiner assurance.
Mine-site responsible mining.
Exchange responsible-sourcing rules.
US forced-labour import presumption.
Quality, environment and safety.
Continuity where supply concentrates.
Where we look.
The official procurement and trade sources we draw on.
Federal materials demand.
Defence supply and strategic materials.
UK above-threshold notices.
EU public procurement.
UN agency procurement.
Direct and invited opportunities.
Related thinking.
Recent notes that bear on this sector.
CBAM’s first real year. The bill is small; the data is not.
The EU carbon border adjustment has charged for embedded emissions since 1 January. Certificates for 2026 imports go on sale in February 2027 and must be surrendered by 30 September 2027. The 2026 charge is small, but it rises every year, and what it costs depends on data most importers do not yet hold.
China’s rare earth pause has two more months. Plan as if it ends.
China’s suspension of its October 2025 rare earth controls was due to end on 10 November. The US–China truce behind it now runs to 10 January 2027. The April 2025 licensing on seven medium and heavy rare earths never stopped. Magnet-dependent supply chains should plan for both.
The EU forced labour ban applies in 14 months. The guidance is out; the risk database is not.
From 14 December 2027 no product made with forced labour may be sold in or exported from the EU. The Commission’s guidelines arrived in late June 2026. Its database of risk areas, due the same month, is still in development.