In Hollywood, the characters of heroes and villains are usually cleanly defined–but the business world is generally more nuanced. However, the predatory campaign against Teck, the responsible North American mining company producing critical minerals such as copper and zinc that are vital to decarbonization and EV supply chains, by the scandal-ridden, short-sighted Glencore trading shop is the exception to the rule.
Glencore’s history begins with Marc Rich, who launched a shadowy business culture of tax fraud, sanctions evasion, bribery, and support for the cruelest autocratic regimes in the world, keeping Iran afloat during the 1979 hostage crisis and continuing right through their ongoing dealings with Putin’s brutal regime.