Commodity Supply Chains in an Age of Climate Crisis, Resource Nationalism, and Geopolitical Tensions

Dear Colleagues,

Global commodity supply chains are the lifeblood of modern economies, influencing everything from energy security and food availability to industrial production and technological innovation. Unlike traditional supply chain management, which focuses on optimizing the flow of finished goods, commodity supply chains grapple with unique challenges: price volatility driven by geopolitical tensions, climate-related disruptions, resource scarcity, and complex ethical and environmental trade-offs. Recent crises—such as the Russia–Ukraine conflict’s impact on grain and energy markets, climate-driven agricultural failures, and the race for critical minerals such as lithium and cobalt—highlight the urgent need to reimagine how commodity systems are structured, governed, and sustained. Climate change is disrupting agricultural yields, depleting water resources, and intensifying natural disasters, while the race to secure critical minerals for clean energy transitions is fueling resource nationalism and geopolitical tensions. From export bans on essential goods to strategic alliances over rare earth metals, the world is witnessing a new era of competition over finite resources—a phenomenon some have termed "resource wars”.

This Special Issue seeks to advance interdisciplinary research on commodity trading and supply chains, with a focus on resilience, sustainability, resource nationalism, and geopolitical tensions. By bridging gaps between theory and practice, we aim to equip policymakers, businesses, and communities with strategies to navigate an era of unprecedented uncertainty.

Aim and Scope

 This Special Issue welcomes empirical, theoretical, and policy-driven contributions that explore the following:

• Innovative Strategies: Blockchain for traceability, AI-driven demand forecasting, and circular economy models, especially for packaging.
• Risk Mitigation: Managing climate, geopolitical, and market volatility risks in commodity trade. The rise of resource nationalism and its implications.
• Ethical Governance: Addressing child labor, deforestation, and human rights in sourcing practices.
• Policy Frameworks: Trade agreements, sanctions, and ESG regulations shaping commodity flows.
• Sustainable Transitions: Renewable energy integration, regenerative agriculture, and green finance mechanisms.

We welcome original research articles, reviews, case studies, and theoretical papers that align with the journal’s broad scope.

Suggested Topics

Submissions may address, but are not limited to, the following:

1. Climate-Driven Disruptions: Adapting agricultural and mining supply chains to extreme weather events.
2. Resource Nationalism: Export bans, tariffs, and state control over critical resources.
3. Geopolitical Tensions: Trade wars, sanctions, and strategic alliances over scarce resources.
4. Critical Minerals: Securing supply chains for lithium, cobalt, and rare earth metals.
5. Energy Transitions: Balancing fossil fuel decline with green mineral demand.
6. Food Security: Climate-resilient agricultural systems and equitable trade policies.
7. Ethical Sourcing: Addressing labour rights and environmental impacts in resource extraction.
8. Circular Economy: Innovations in recycling and waste-to-resource models.
9. Policy Innovations: Carbon pricing, subsidy reforms, and international trade agreements.
10. Digital Transformation: Blockchain, AI, and IoT applications in commodity traceability and trading.

Dr. Mehran Ullah
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Commodities is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.