ABSTRACT
The security and affordability of sector-specific raw materials is of central significance to high-tech industries in modern economies. People believe that for some raw materials, especially for high-tech metals and rare earth elements, 1 the security of long-term supply is no longer certain. Thus, the viability of whole industries is threatened, and the fight for raw materials has begun. Until recently, concern about the availability of raw materials was low on company agendas. However, acute supply problems and dramatic price increases (1) have quickly changed company priorities as corporations noticed their dependency on certain metals, particularly in industries such as consumer and communications electronics, alternative energy generation, and the automotive and arms industries. As a result, the issue of supply shortages is high on political agendas, and the search for new sources of raw materials is in full swing in Europe and in countries such as Japan and the United States.
