The Trans-Formative with Trans-Parency: Untapping Ground-up Environmental Information and New Technologies for Sustainability

In this chapter we address two research questions: (a) Does top-down transparency/information disclosure contribute or not to addressing the social-ecological challenges emerging from supply chains? (b) Do distinct types of transparency, top-down versus ground-up, differ in the way they can contribute to address these challenges and thereby to the enjoyment of the right to a healthy environment? To assess these questions, we use the mining industry as a case study, which faces increasing social-ecological challenges. First, we build on Ituarte-Lima and Stromberg (2018a), identifying the sustainability challenges of the sector. We then unpack information: from the common focus on accuracy and precision which we hold are necessary but insufficient for reaching positive socio-ecological outcomes, into seven sub-characteristics that we argue are sufficient for contributing to what we qualify as effective transparency. Thereafter we apply these characteristics to contrast how current top-down approaches versus emerging ground-up approaches contribute to effective transparency. This highlights ways in which recent technological advances make ground-up approaches necessary for delivering effective transparency that is conducive to circular and, above all, sustainable commodity chains.