ORIGINAL PAPER
Value Chains in the Raw Materials Industry – the Example of the Cobalt Value Chain
1
AGH University of Krakow
Submission date: 2024-01-26
Final revision date: 2024-02-16
Acceptance date: 2024-02-27
Publication date: 2024-03-26
Gospodarka Surowcami Mineralnymi – Mineral Resources Management 2024;40(1):5-24
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
Scientific background of mineral resource managementResearch on mineral raw materials marketsStrategy and methodology of mineral prospecting and explorationEconomics of mineral industries
ABSTRACT
The global development of electromobility and the innovation of life are becoming increasingly noticeable. A direct implication of this is the increase in demand for modern products and services, their components and thus the raw materials necessary to produce them (e.g. cobalt, lithium, rare earth metals). In the European Union (EU), raw materials related to strategic sectors – renewable energy, electric mobility, defense and aerospace and digital technologies – show a very strong dependence on import throughout the entire value chain. In the case of eleven out of thirty of the so-called critical raw materials (CRM), necessary for the energy transition, the EU’s dependence on import exceeds 85%. Global supply chains, which had already been strained, were further affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the exacerbated geopolitical situations leading to even greater shortages of critical raw materials in Europe and leaving the industry facing challenges in securing access to resources. An implication of this was the European Parliament’s position on critical raw material legislation in September 2023, which called on the EU to increase its processing capacity across the value chain and enable the production of at least 40% of the annual consumption of
strategic raw materials by 2030.
Growing importance in the transition to a low-emission economy is attributed to cobalt (Co), which is an essential component both in the production of electric vehicles (EV), stationary energy storage and in the developing sectors of wind energy, fuel cell systems and hydrogen storage technologies, robotics, unmanned vehicles (drones) and 3D printing as well as in digital technologies. Securing the supply of such raw material is crucial for the European Union’s economic resilience, technological advantage and strategic autonomy.
The purpose of this article is to present and analyze the concept of value chains as strategic models of long-term development and ensuring efficiency from a sustainable perspective. According to the authors, a detailed analysis of value chains may enable defining strategic directions of action and identifying the risks of their disruption or interruption. To give a practical dimension to the presented analyses, the example of the cobalt value chain is provided and the determinants of its functioning on the current market along with development prospects are indicated.
METADATA IN OTHER LANGUAGES:
Polish
Łańcuchy wartości w przemyśle surowcowym – przykład cobalt value chain
metale krytyczne, przemysł surowcowy, łańcuchy wartości, łańcuch wartości kobaltu, migracje marż
Globalny rozwój elektromobilności oraz innowacyjności życia stają się obecnie coraz bardziej widoczne. Bezpośrednią implikacją takiego stanu rzeczy jest wzrost popytu na nowoczesne produkty i usługi, ich komponenty i tym samym na surowce niezbędne do ich wytworzenia (np. kobalt, lit, metale ziem rzadkich). Raw materials w Unii Europejskiej (EU) związane z sektorami strategicznymi: energia odnawialna, mobilność elektryczna, przemysł obronny i lotniczy, czy też technologie cyfrowe, wykazują bardzo silne uzależnienie od importu w całym łańcuchu wartości. W przypadku 11 z 30 tzw. surowców krytycznych (CRM), niezbędnych do przeprowadzenia transformacji energetycznej, zależność UE od importu przekracza już teraz 85 procent. Globalne łańcuchy dostaw, które już wcześniej były napięte, ucierpiały jeszcze bardziej w wyniku pandemii COVID-19 oraz zaognionych sytuacji geopolitycznych, co doprowadziło do jeszcze większych niedoborów krytycznych surowców w Europie i sprawiło, że branża stoi przed wyzwaniami związanymi z zabezpieczeniem dostępu do zasobów. Implikacją tego faktu było przyjęcie we wrześniu 2023 r. przez Parlament Europejski stanowiska w sprawie prawodawstwa dotyczącego surowców krytycznych, w którym wezwał UE do zwiększenia swoich mocy przerobowych w całym łańcuchu wartości i umożliwienia wytworzenia co najmniej 40% rocznego zużycia surowców strategicznych do 2030 roku.
Rosnące znaczenie w procesie przechodzenia na gospodarkę niskoemisyjną przypisuje się kobaltowi (Co), który jest niezbędnym komponentem zarówno przy produkcji pojazdów elektrycznych (EV), stacjonarnych magazynów energii, czy też w rozwijających się sektorach: energii wiatrowej, systemach ogniw paliwowych i technologii magazynowania wodoru, robotyki, pojazdów bezzałogowych (dronów), druku 3D, jak również technologii cyfrowych. Zabezpieczenie dostaw tego surowca ma kluczowe znaczenie dla odporności gospodarczej Unii Europejskiej, jej przewagi technologicznej i strategicznej autonomii.
Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie i analiza koncepcji łańcuchów wartości jako strategicznych modeli rozwoju długoterminowego i zapewnienia efektywności w zrównoważonym ujęciu. Według autorów, szczegółowa analiza łańcuchów wartości może pozwolić na określenie strategicznych kierunków działania i zidentyfikowanie ryzyk ich zaburzenia czy przerwania. Dla praktycznego wymiaru zaprezentowanych analiz przytoczono łańcuch wartości na przykładzie kobaltu oraz wskazano determinanty jego funkcjonowania na obecnym rynku wraz z perspektywami rozwoju.
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| eISSN: | 2299-2324 |
| ISSN: | 0860-0953 |
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