LUT Business School, Finland

A SOCIO-TECHNICAL TRANSITION OF SUSTAINABLE LITHIUM INDUSTRY IN
LATIN AMERICA

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Abstract

To support a sustainable mobility transition and zero-carbon economy globally, important efforts are currently being made towards the use of sustainable transport, such as electric vehicles. In this context, the role of lithium is crucial for the manufacturing of electric vehicles powered by lithium-ion batteries. However, more than half of the global lithium reserves are located in the three Latin American countries comprising the so-called Lithium Triangle – namely, Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. Each of these countries has a different national lithium regime and national policy to support the lithium industry in the processing and export of this natural resource. This paper analyses the potential of socio-technical transition theory for building a sustainable global lithium industry, with emphasis on Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. We adopt a multilevel perspective to explore the major mining policies and national lithium arrangements, industry challenges and future scenarios among major industry and public actors in these countries.

Biography

I am a junior researcher in the Business School at LUT University. I have an M.Sc. in Engineering Management from Istanbul Technical University. My research interests are focused on the lithium industry, energy transition processes, the lithium-ion battery industry, sustainable mobility, the circular economy, and strategic decision-making. I investigate the circularity of the lithium industry for batteries of electric vehicles, by exploring the key dynamics, barriers, and challenges mainly of the two corners of this value chain: mining and recycling. Therefore, one of my publications focuses on the sociotechnical transition process of lithium-producing countries in Latin America and on the interrelationship of the circular economy within the lithium-ion battery value chain towards a sustainability transition. Additionally, I have experience as a technical consultant for the design of socio-productive projects in Bolivia. I am a member of the SCI-MAT (Sustainable Circularity of Inorganic Materials) Platform at LUT University and am currently involved in two EU projects: RELIEF (Recycling of Lithium from Secondary Raw Materials and Further) and REINFORCE (Standardised, Automated, Safe and Cost-Efficient Processing of End-of-Life Batteries for Second and Third Life Reuse and Recycling), as well as in one Academy of Finland project: Action4Commons (Collective stakeholder action for commons: Integrating business-stakeholder value creation with polycentric governance).