Legislative impact assessments and evaluations are a core part of Hyacint Consult area of expertise. Our team members have contributed to studies commissioned by inter alia think-tanks and research institutes, Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Commission, Swiss Government (SECO) on trade policy and sustainability related legislation.
Examples:
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Study title: 'Conflict Minerals - over a decade of effort and impacts' (2023)
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Funding entity: International Institute for Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom)
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Hyacint Consult team: Famke Schaap, with Mike Loch and Greg Salter
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Content: This publication focuses on the critical role of responsible mineral sourcing, emphasizing sustainability, ethical practices, and transparent supply chains. Through our joint efforts, we explore innovative solutions to mitigate risks associated with conflict minerals while promoting governance and accountability at every level of the supply chain.
Over a Decade of Effort and Impacts
Conflict minerals
Despite regulatory efforts like the OECD Due Diligence Guidance, the U.S. Dodd-Frank Act, and the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation, significant weaknesses persist in the supply chain, particularly upstream. Industry initiatives such as the ITRI Tin Supply Chain Initiative (ITSCI) have faced criticism for insufficient robustness, leading downstream companies to reconsider their reliance on such schemes. This study highlights the "pinch points" at smelters and refiners, emphasizing the need for strong oversight and credible systems to ensure responsible sourcing.
It examines the challenges and opportunities posed by the rising demand for minerals essential to the clean energy transition, particularly tin, tungsten, and tantalum (3Ts). These minerals, vital for electronics, solar cells, and batteries, are predominantly sourced from developing regions such as the African Great Lakes Region (AGLR), including eastern Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, and Uganda. It explores the sustainability risks within 3T supply chains, focusing on illegal mining, conflict financing, human rights abuses, and the environmental impacts of artisanal and small-scale mining operations and underscores the importance of improving regulatory frameworks,
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