LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) – The world is going to need another 50,000 tonnes of tin per year by 2030 to meet a looming surge in demand, according to the International Tin Association (ITA).
Tin is an often overlooked critical mineral, commonly associated with the humble tin can, even though packaging today accounts for only 12% of global usage. Almost half the tin consumed every year is now used as a solder in circuit boards.
The faster the world moves towards the internet-of-things, the more tin will be needed to glue the expanding metaverse together. Tin will also benefit from the green energy transition thanks to its use in solar panels and batteries, both lead-acid and lithium-ion.
The additional production required to feed the coming demand boom is a big ask of a sector that currently produces around 380,000 tonnes per year of primary refined metal. A recent history of extreme price volatility and growing resource nationalism in Indonesia, the world’s largest tin exporter, add to the challenge.
For the rest of this column: https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/tin-must-tame-its-wildness-meet-coming-demand-surge-2022-12-06/#:~:text=LONDON%2C%20Dec%206%20(Reuters),International%20Tin%20Association%20(ITA).