The global push for a green transition is creating unprecedented demand for critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, and rare earths. But as these materials move from mines to solar panels and EV batteries, they often travel through opaque supply chains, hiding significant environmental and social costs. How can we ensure the shift to clean energy is truly sustainable and equitable?
To explore the topic, the Pulitzer Center recently hosted a webinar titled “How to Report on the Green Transition and Critical Minerals.” The event featured investigative journalists Emily Fishbein and Isabel Harari, along with William George, Director of Research at ImportGenius. Together, they shared methods for investigating supply chains using trade data, open-source research, and geospatial analysis.
Highlights from the webinar
The speakers emphasized different but complementary approaches:
- William George explained how trade data offers a critical lens into global mineral flows, helping journalists trace commodities, companies, and policy impacts.
- Emily Fishbein reported on rare earth mining in Myanmar, an industry marked by environmental damage, limited transparency, and high risks for sources on the ground.
- Isabel Harari presented her work in the Brazilian Amazon, where she mapped thousands of mineral exploration requests overlapping Indigenous and protected territories, highlighting potential conflicts.
Together, their insights showed how collaboration and diverse methods can make hidden supply chains visible.
Explore more on how trade law and investigation shape accountability in global supply chains here.
Tracking critical minerals with trade data
In his session, William George walked participants through the practical ways trade data can shed light on opaque mineral supply chains. He emphasized three powerful approaches:
- Tracking commodities – following shipments of critical minerals such as nickel or rare earths across borders to understand true flows and volumes
- Following companies – mapping out who's buying, selling, or concealing their role in the chain, even when they try to hide behind shell corporations
- Assessing policy impacts – analyzing how new tariffs or regulations ripple across global markets and reshape trade patterns
He explained the importance of granular customs data: records that reveal not only what's being shipped, but who the buyers and sellers are. These datasets make it possible to detect patterns, uncover anomalies, and even identify shipments that companies try to obscure.
Through compelling examples, William showed how a single clue, like a word in a product description or a container number, can unmask major corporate actors. From tracing Indonesian nickel exports to identifying Starbucks as the buyer of supposedly "anonymous" coffee bean shipments, his presentation highlighted how data-driven investigation can expose hidden truths that companies prefer to keep secret.
Watch the highlight video
See William’s full discussion on how trade data powers reporting on the green transition, critical minerals, and global supply chains.
Browse our full library of webinars for deeper insights into how trade data drives transparency, accountability, and smarter decision-making.
Why it matters
Critical mineral extraction will define the pace and fairness of the green transition. Without oversight and transparency, corporate actors may willingly or unwillingly perpetuate environmental destruction and human rights abuses. The webinar highlighted how trade data, geospatial mapping, and open-source investigation can help journalists, NGOs, and policymakers hold industries accountable.
For ImportGenius, this conversation reinforces the value of trade intelligence as a public resource. Our data has supported stories on sanctions evasion, environmental risks, and international trade disputes. By equipping researchers with the tools to see beyond the surface, we help ensure that the transition to clean energy is both sustainable and equitable.
To learn more about how our work contributes to global investigations, visit our Newsroom.
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