Between the end of 2024 and October 2025, Levin Sources collaborated with EITI in a project to identify opportunities to enhance EITI data use in mineral supply chain due diligence processes.
Our research revealed significant potential: the EITI Standard and Principles are widely referenced in various responsible sourcing guidance documents and voluntary standards (e.g., by the OECD, the CCCMC, the LME, IRMA, RMI, and the GBA). EITI data sources provide relevant information for identifying and assessing supply chain actors and governance-related risks in mineral supply chains, such as bribery and corruption in mineral extraction and trade, concealment of mineral origin, and (in)direct support to public or private security forces.
Particularly, EITI country reports and EITI Validation scorecards provide relevant information on companies' payments to governments, beneficial ownership data, and countries' overall performance against the EITI Standard, highlighting potential governance weaknesses.
Despite this significant potential, industry actors engaged with during the project indicated that they did not frequently use EITI data, due to a limited understanding of what EITI is, what data sources it produces, and how those could be relevant for mineral supply chain due diligence.
In response, EITI and Levin Sources developed two practical guidance materials:
- The EITI Due Diligence Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) to address the most common barrier to EITI data use, namely the lack of awareness and understanding of EITI, and
- The Guide to Using EITI Data for Due Diligence provides guidance on which EITI disclosures are relevant, where to find them, what information to look for, and how to interpret the data and identify potential governance risks that may warrant enhanced due diligence.
