Abstract
The accelerating transition to sustainable systems has intensified demand for platinum, a critical material in automotive catalytic converters. Platinum's strategic importance is underscored by its limited global supply, geographical concentration, and the technical challenges associated with its extraction and recovery. While recycling is essential to mitigating supply risks, significant inefficiencies persist, such as theft of catalytic converters at their end-of-life, converters exported through informal channels, or their loss due to improper recycling practices. Those inefficiencies result in substantial material waste and weaken supply chain resilience. This research introduces a blockchain-enabled framework designed to transform the traceability and recyclability of platinum across the catalytic converter supply chain. By creating an immutable, transparent, and secure digital record of material flows, the framework is intended to support greater accountability and help reduce risks of theft and loss. A central part of the solution is the deployment of digital passports that assign verifiable digital identities to Platinum containers and catalytic converters, thereby supporting ownership verification and lifecycle tracking. The proposed system offers a novel integration of blockchain technology and digital passports to address an important challenge in critical raw material management. Beyond supporting improved Platinum recovery, this approach has the potential to strengthen supply chain integrity, advance circular economy objectives, and contribute to more sustainable and resilient automotive systems.