Minespider, a company offering blockchain traceability software for mineral supply chains, has produced a short film showing how the first fully traceable tin mine in the world works, Minsur’s San Rafael mine located in Andean mountains in Peru.
The San Rafael mine in Peru, which is one of the world’s largest underground mines and the richest in ore-grade tin, according to the company. Today it produces 12% of the world’s tin and creates over 2,000 jobs in the region.
The short film describes elements of the mine, including safety, a minimized impact on the environment, social responsibility, productivity and efficiency and usage of modern technologies for more sustainability, transparency and maximized output. Each part of the video is supported with comments from Minsur’s experts.
Tin is an important mineral for the future of energy and electrification. The largest use of tin is in soldering, which is essential for the electronics industry, production of EVs and other key infrastructure.
However, tin mining, as well as mining of other critical minerals, is sometimes associated with environmental risks and human rights violations. An example of this provided in the video is tin from Banka Island, Indonesia, used in iPhones that were produced involving child labor.
Starting in 2019, Minsur and Minespider implemented the first fully traceable tin production with Minespider’s Digital Product Passports, scaling in 2023 to ensure tin traceability for all their output. Minsur’s direct and indirect customers worldwide can verify that the tin used in their products comes from this responsible source in Peru.
Watch the video here:
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