German industry is working on a concept for cooperation between companies and the state to secure raw material supply chains, modeled after Japan. Dependencies and risks in raw material supply chains affect many sectors, a spokesperson for the automotive industry association VDA said on Monday. Therefore, cross-industry and cross-political action is required. "The Japanese security model for raw material supply chains can serve as a blueprint for this." According to an insider, a cross-sector working group is addressing the issue. The "Financial Times" reported that participants include the electrical industry association ZVEI and the defense contractor Rheinmetall. ZVEI declined to comment, and Rheinmetall was not immediately available for comment.

Japan restructured its raw material policy in 2010 following a dispute with China, focusing on close cooperation between state organizations and private companies. A crucial role is played by the state-run raw materials agency Jogmec, which supports companies in raw material projects.

In the fall, the Munich-based carmaker BMW published a two-page paper in the Bundestag's lobby register, calling for coordinated action between industry and politics to ensure a strong presence in international raw material markets and greater diversification in the supply chain. International comparative analyses showed that the Japanese model proved particularly suitable in this regard. A spokesperson declined to comment further.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs stated that the federal government generally welcomes initiatives from the business community that could contribute to strengthening a resilient raw material supply. "Whether and to what extent financial participation by the federal government can be considered in addition to existing measures, such as the raw materials fund, can only be examined once a concrete concept is available," a spokeswoman said.

(Report by Christina Amann, with contributions from Christian Kraemer and Matthias Inverardi, edited by Sabine Wollrab. For inquiries, please contact our editorial office at Berlin.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for politics and economy) or Frankfurt.Newsroom@thomsonreuters.com (for companies and markets)