Other Materials

Essential Details

As a champion for excellence and progress across the global automotive industry, AIAG endorses a systematic approach to understanding, monitoring, and mitigating the risk of materials of concern beyond internationally regulated conflict minerals. 

We provide a collection of resources to help the supply chain align with global standards and continually enhance their materials due diligence strategy, efforts, and transparency. 

We also call attention to critical resources like the Material Insights Website, compiled and analyzed by TDi Sustainability and the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI) to facilitate joint efforts to address sourcing risks for the supply chain within automotive, electronics, and other sectors.

Key Resources 

Automotive Industry Guidance for Non-Legislated Responsible Minerals Sourcing

Guide your approach to execute and manage overall supply chain mineral due diligence strategies.

Lessons Learned From 3TG Due Diligence Efforts

Learn about best practices that can be used for new material initiatives. We used lessons learned through the development of our due diligence processes for 3TG to capture common issues, problems, and resolution.

Cobalt is used in lithium-ion batteries, a vital part of electric vehicles and electronic devices. As the automotive industry moves toward electrification, the demand for — and concerns surrounding — cobalt continue to grow exponentially. A variety of social and environmental impacts of cobalt extraction, including child labor and unsafe working conditions, call industry decision makers to ensure this material is sourced responsibly.

For these reasons, the automotive industry considers cobalt to be a high-risk mineral, and companies — especially OEMs — are taking the initiative in conducting traceability and sourcing due diligence throughout their supply chains. In partnership with the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), AIAG recognizes cross-industry guidance to help companies engage in this type of due diligence with their supply chains to better understand and report the sourcing of this material in relation to their products.

Recommended steps:

• Use the IMDS reporting platform to identify the presence of cobalt in the materials used on products

• Engage in due diligence with supply chains and report the use and sourcing of cobalt

In the automotive industry specifically, mica has come into focus as a mineral of concern due to the use of child labor, lack of traceability, and health and safety concerns in mica mines globally. As such, automotive companies that use mica in the products they manufacture or outsource to be manufactured can use tools provided by AIAG, in partnership with the Responsible Minerals Initiative (RMI), to promote due diligence with their downstream suppliers and ensure they are operating in a socially responsible way.

• Use material data information to understand the use of mica in products your company manufactures

• Perform annual due diligence with downstream suppliers and report smelters and refiners where mica is mined