THE COBALT CONSENSUS
Geography: Central Africa / Washington D.C.
A major strategic mineral producer faced a supply chain blackout due to NGO pressure alleging compliance lapses. Tier-1 EV manufacturers and Western OEMs were preparing to sever ties to mitigate reputational exposure.
Supply chains are political.
THE CHALLENGE
The client faced "toxic asset" status. Without Western offtake agreements, they would be forced to liquidate inventory to non-market actors at distressed prices—a scenario Western policymakers privately opposed but could not publicly defend due to optics.
SIC INTERVENTION
- Geopolitical Pivot: We reframed the narrative from "Compliance vs. Ethics" to "Strategic Autonomy vs. Monopoly." We positioned the client as a bulwark against adversarial dominance in the battery metals sector.
- Verification Regime: We instituted a proprietary "Chain of Custody" protocol audited by independent Western firms, giving buyers the political cover needed to resume procurement.
- Think Tank Diplomacy: Sponsored closed-door roundtables at leading Washington policy forums on "Securing Critical Minerals for the Free World," featuring the client's leadership alongside defense sector veterans.
THE OUTCOME
The pressure campaign subsided as the narrative shifted toward national security priorities. The client successfully secured a long-term strategic procurement framework with key Western industrial partners.
DISCLAIMER: The case studies and scenarios presented on this website are illustrative examples of strategic methodologies and potential outcomes. Certain details, including names, specific financial figures, and entity identities, may have been anonymized, generalized, or constructed as composites to protect client confidentiality and proprietary strategy. Past performance is not indicative of future results.