Minespider, Responsible Trade and Naka Group Partner to Advance Multi-Tier Supply Chain Due Diligence
14 July 2026 — Minespider, the digital traceability and Digital Product & Battery Passport platform, today announced a strategic collaboration with Responsible Trade LLC and Naka Group Limited to help companies map, verify and report on their supply chains all the way to the source, not only to their direct suppliers.
The collaboration takes on the hardest part of supply chain due diligence: getting reliable data from beyond Tier 1. Minespider provides the platform that captures structured data, tracks chain of custody, and issues Digital Product & Battery Passports. Responsible Trade and Naka Group lead the upstream work; engaging suppliers at every tier, applying OECD-aligned due diligence methodologies, and cascading supply chain mapping from Tier 1 to Tier n. They identify risks and gaps across the value chain, keep mapping outputs aligned with regulatory and reporting requirements, and handle implementation with a focus on confidentiality and real supplier participation. Minespider ensures the data is structured, available for verification and shareable, whilst Responsible Trade and Naka Group make sure the right data is collected from the right actors in the first place.
Together, the partnership aims to offer a practical, scalable approach to multi-tier supply chain visibility, supporting companies as they meet growing due diligence and reporting obligations under regulations such as the EU Battery Regulation, the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), and the Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation (ESPR).
For Mike Loch, President of Responsible Trade, LLC, the gap has always been upstream:
“Due diligence doesn't happen in a spreadsheet nor is it a check the box exercise - it needs to happen for the mine site, the trading house, and every tier in between. Companies have spent years struggling to see past their direct suppliers to conduct proper due diligence. Pairing Minespider's traceability platform with real upstream engagement finally gives companies a way to collect necessary data from the actual actors to perform robust due diligence across their supply chain. ”
— Mike Loch, President, Responsible Trade, LLC
Jochen Marx of Naka Group Limited points to the practical side of reaching those suppliers:
“Suppliers deeper in the chain often want to do the right thing but lack the tools, or resources, to translate good practice into reportable data. Our job is to meet suppliers where they are, building the relationships and the trust that turn willingness to engage into meaningful, reportable supply chain data. With Minespider handling the structure and data aggregation, that engagement finally becomes something companies can act on and report against.”
— Jochen Marx, Founder & CEO, Naka Group Limited
The timing matters. Battery due diligence remains a core requirement of the EU Battery Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1542). Following the European Commission's Omnibus proposal, the application of those obligations moved from 18 August 2025 to 18 August 2027, but the intervening milestones are already arriving. The Omnibus amendments to the CSRD and CSDDD entered into force on 18 March 2026 and are now in effect, and the Commission is expected to publish its EU Battery Regulation due diligence guidelines on 26 July 2026. Member States must transpose the Omnibus changes into national law by 18 March 2027, ahead of the 18 August 2027 date when the due diligence obligations themselves become applicable. Supplier visibility, traceability and evidence-management systems all take time to build, which is why companies have good reason to begin well before the deadline.
Pavlina Spasovska, Head of Project Management at Minespider, sees the same pattern across implementations:
“The companies that struggle in 2027 won't be those lacking software — they'll be the ones that never mapped their upstream suppliers. That mapping takes time, and it's exactly what this partnership makes practical. We bring the platform, structure, and data transfer/security; Responsible Trade and Naka Group bring the upstream relationships and the due diligence rigour to fill it with data that holds up.”
— Pavlina Spasovska, Head of Project Management, Minespider
About Minespider
Minespider is a Digital Product Passport and Battery Passport platform that helps organizations build transparent, traceable, and compliant supply chains. Their traceability tools support chain of custody, supplier engagement, document collection, auditability, and permissioned data exchange. Built for minerals & metals, batteries, and automotive OEMs, Minespider helps companies prepare for EU Battery Regulation requirements while maintaining control over sensitive business information.
About Responsible Trade LLC
Responsible Trade LLC helps companies build responsible supply chains through due diligence, auditing, supply chain management and responsible sourcing. Its team has deep experience applying OECD Due Diligence Guidance across complex, multi-tier and high-risk supply chains.
About Naka Group Limited
Naka Group Limited provides supplier engagement, supply chain mapping and due diligence expertise, helping companies build the trust, transparency and data flows needed for effective traceability and responsible sourcing across complex multi-tier value chains.
Media contact
Ella Cullen, Co-founder & CMO, Minespider
marketing@minespider.com · www.minespider.com
