Harvard Professor Ricardo Hausmann: The Procurement Goldmine

Gold is rare. More than 99.9% of the Earth’s crust is composed of oxides of silicon, aluminum, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, potassium, titanium, and phosphorus. So, for most of human history, people have become quite excited when they have discovered gold. Despite the serious environmental consequences of gold mining, including mercury and cyanide pollution and the devastation of landscapes, humanity has not given up the search – and seems unlikely to do so any time soon.............................................
But, in pursuing such a path, governments must remember that mining is a potentially dangerous industry that must be approached with care. To this end, they could begin by applying, say, 5% of their procurement budgets to nurture urgently needed solutions in areas with potentially large global markets. After all, anything that is worth doing is worth doing better.
http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/10/13/harvard-professor-ricardo-hausmann-the-procurement-goldmine/