Barriers and facilitators of traceability in artisanal gold mining: a systematic review of integration into formal supply chains
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Abstract
The governance of gold supply chains faces the challenge of integrating informal artisanal miners into formal markets within a context of structural informality, inequality, and global regulatory pressures, making it essential to assess the effectiveness of traceability mechanisms. This study aimed to analyze the barriers and facilitators reported in the literature that condition the effectiveness of such mechanisms in linking these producers with formal buyers. A systematic review article was conducted following rigorous methodological guidelines, based on the selection and analysis of studies indexed in Scopus between 2012 and 2026. The results showed that regulatory, economic, technological, and sociocultural barriers significantly limit the effective implementation of traceability systems, while factors such as hybrid governance, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and market incentives act as key facilitators. Additionally, traceability was found to generate ambivalent effects, including exclusion processes or merely formal compliance without substantive improvements. In conclusion, the effectiveness of traceability mechanisms depends less on technological sophistication and more on their ability to be embedded within inclusive institutional structures, redefining their role as tools for promoting integration and sustainability in gold supply chains
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