Table of Contents
The AMRT Question Suppliers Ask Too Late
Most suppliers ask the wrong question about AMRT:
“How often do we need to submit this?”
The more accurate question is:
“How long before our last AMRT response becomes wrong?”
AMRT rarely fails because suppliers refuse to update it. It fails because suppliers don’t realize it has already changed.
This article explains how often AMRT must be updated in practice, why one-time submissions collapse, and what actually forces AMRT back onto the operational agenda.
Why AMRT Becomes Recurring Without Regulation
AMRT does not recur because a law requires it. It recurs because risk evaluation is continuous.
AMRT is pulled back into scope through:
- annual supplier scorecards
- ESG reporting cycles
- customer monitoring programs
- historical comparison across submissions
Once an AMRT response exists, it becomes a baseline. Baselines create expectations—and expectations create recurrence.
The Difference Between “Submitted Once” and “Still Valid”
Suppliers often treat AMRT like a document with a timestamp.
Customers do not.
From a customer perspective, AMRT is valid only if:
- product scope is unchanged
- supplier base is unchanged
- mineral assumptions still hold
- explanations still align
The moment one of those conditions shifts, the AMRT response is outdated, even if no one has asked for an update yet.
The Triggers That Force AMRT Updates
AMRT updates are rarely announced. They are triggered implicitly by change.
Product Changes
AMRT must be revisited when:
- new products are introduced
- components are redesigned
- battery chemistry changes
- material substitutions occur
AMRT answers tied to old product logic silently become invalid.
Supplier Changes
AMRT breaks when:
- suppliers are added or replaced
- sourcing shifts across regions
- Tier-2 or Tier-3 visibility changes
Even when Tier-1 suppliers remain the same, upstream change can invalidate prior assumptions.
Portfolio Expansion or Reorganization
AMRT often resurfaces after:
- mergers or acquisitions
- new business units added
- product families consolidated
What was once a narrow response suddenly applies to a broader scope.
Customer Program Maturity
Even without internal change, AMRT is revisited when:
- customers expand ESG programs
- scorecards evolve
- reporting depth increases
AMRT expectations mature over time—even if supplier data doesn’t.
Why One-Time AMRT Submissions Collapse
One-time submissions collapse because they lack control mechanisms.
Common failure patterns include:
- no record of why certain answers were chosen
- no ownership for future updates
- no trigger logic tied to product or supplier change
- no alignment across business units
When AMRT is requested again, teams either:
- guess
- contradict prior responses
- or scramble to reconstruct context
That scramble is what leads to escalation later.
How Often AMRT Is Actually Reviewed
There is no universal AMRT schedule—but in practice, suppliers should expect:
- Annual review at minimum (scorecards, ESG cycles)
- Event-driven review after product or supplier change
- Comparative review when customers assess peer suppliers
- Targeted review after inconsistencies are detected
AMRT that is older than a year—and not actively revalidated—is usually treated with skepticism.
Why “We’ll Update When Asked” Is a Risky Strategy
Waiting to be asked creates two problems:
-
You lose narrative control Updates happen under pressure, not planning.
-
You expose inconsistency Prior answers resurface without context, making change look like error.
Suppliers that update AMRT proactively manage perception. Those that update reactively manage damage.
What Operational AMRT Review Actually Looks Like
Operational AMRT review does not mean rewriting everything.
It means:
- confirming scope still applies
- validating assumptions still hold
- documenting what has changed—and what hasn’t
- keeping explanations stable unless reality shifts
This discipline dramatically reduces rework.
Why Recurrence Increases Over Time
The longer AMRT exists, the more powerful it becomes.
Each cycle adds:
- historical context
- comparison points
- expectation of improvement
What felt optional in year one becomes expected by year three.
AMRT recurrence is cumulative.
What This Means for Suppliers
AMRT is not a one-time obligation. It is a recurring operational responsibility.
Suppliers that succeed with AMRT:
- accept recurrence early
- define update triggers
- retain historical context
- review responses deliberately
Those that don’t are forced into last-minute revisions that erode credibility.