Blockchain Boosters Aim to Ease Tracking of Conflict Minerals

Companies including IBM and Ford are exploring the use of blockchain to make sure that metals and minerals used to make phones and other goods are extracted in ways that don’t fuel war, damage the environment, or contribute to human rights abuses.

• Ethical Mining: Miners are often required to prove where metals come from, but tracking ore from ground to point of sale is challenging for phonemakers, automakers, and others who may face consumer backlash from practices that are poor or support conflict.

• Better Tracking: Blockchain, used in cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, could drastically improve mineral tracking by offering a cheaper, ...