"A more holistic approach is needed" to track and manage the flows of rare earth (or technology) metals used in modern technology, according to a Dec. 31, 2013 article in the journal Nature.

"To fix bottlenecks and inefficiencies requires measuring technology-metal stocks and understanding how they flow through the whole supply chain — from mining to concentration, extractive and process metallurgy, manufacturing, use, reuse, recycling, dispersal and disposal."