Center for Greening the Supply Chain
Electrification and alternative fuels are essential to reducing reliance on fossil fuels in the transportation, manufacturing, and agricultural sectors, in particular. The pathways to more electrification, storage and production and use of hydrogen as a fuel all require more mined and processed materials, such as copper and lithium.
Currently, mining, extraction and processing of critical materials rely on the use of fossil fuels and excessive water use, both of which have environmental impacts. AUI has established the Center for Greening the Supply Chain (CGSC) to help address these issues, and seeks significant input and support from leaders in industry, government and academia. Our aim is to increase the focus on the upstream supply chain of critical materials, identify both research gaps and technology development needs, integrate workforce development activities, and promote the rapid transition and deployment of technologies to green the supply chain.
Action Oriented
At AUI, we don’t just identify problems – we develop and deploy solutions. Through the CGSC, AUI will form partnerships and pursue research and development needed to create a greener supply chain of critical materials.
A crucial step in creating a greener supply chain is to analyze the supply chain from source to final product and thereby enable supply chain optimization for a cleaner, more reliable supply of critical materials. AUI is a key partner with Leap Manufacturing in the UT Dallas BEACONS center, and in support of BEACONS we will begin this modeling and analysis activity. Our aim is that through better understanding of the critical materials supply chain, we can help inform policy for our environmental, economic and national security needs and provide data to support enhancing our country’s domestic manufacturing capabilities.