Natural Soda Ash
Commodity Chain Analysis
Introduction to Soda Ash
Soda ash is a relatively unknown commodity that serves an important role in our world, especially nowadays. Its main uses are in glass production and as a major ingredient in many soaps and detergents (which will be the focus of this essay due to their increased importance in preventing the spread of COVID-19.) The story of soda ash is an interesting one, as it is refined in incredibly isolated and unsafe rural mines, transported to ports for export or Proctor and Gamble factories for detergent/soap creation, and then shipped to distribution centers and retailers. As a bulk commodity naturally found in very isolated areas such as Wyoming and the Mojave Desert, soda ash is almost entirely transported within the United States via railroads. This means the impact that COVID-19 had on soda ash can be attributed to both the fluctuating demand for soda ash and how American railroads responded to/were affected by the virus.
Soda Ash Crystals
Map
This map depicts the supply chain of soda ash. Purple pins/arrows represent the operations of mining companies, Red/Dark Blue represents transport across the country on trains, Light Blue represents export via cargo ships, and Green represents the facilities where soda ash is used as an ingredient in soap/detergent and then sent to distribution centers and stores across America. More details can be found by clicking on the pins.
Green River and Trona
Our story begins in two tiny towns: Green River, Wyoming and Trona, California. The Green River area alone has the largest natural deposit of trona in the world, supplying 90% of the nation’s soda ash (Wyoming Mining Association, 2020). When trona ore is crushed, heated, dissolved in water, and filtered, it forms soda ash crystals. (Wyoming Mining Association, 2020).This process is generally done onsite at the mines. It is important to note that almost everywhere else in the world soda ash is made synthetically, but in America the large natural supply of trona ore created from ancient lakes evaporating makes mining more efficient (Ciner, 2021).
Green River has a population of around 12,000 people and Trona has a population of around 1,500 people. The populations of these rural towns are almost entirely white, working class, and mostly employed at the mines. Trona has been on a downward trend for the last several decades as the company town experienced mass layoffs, population decline, and subsequent abandonment (Yarbrough, 2015). Aside from this, the residents of Trona also suffer from an incredibly arid and inhospitable climate, nasty smells from the mine, pollution causing the death of local wildlife, and arsenic poisoning that has afflicted mine employees (Sward, 2008). While conditions are somewhat better up at Green River, they still have to deal with pollution. Green River mines such as Ciner argue that their process is “environmentally friendly” as their soda ash is “mined from the ground and refined with no additional chemicals” (Ciner, 2021). However, according to Open Spaces on Wyoming Public Radio, the trona industry is “one of the biggest emitters of volatile organic compounds and hazardous air pollutants… in the state”, venting methane into the atmosphere with reckless abandon (Zhorov, 2021).
Searles Valley Minerals in Trona, California. Notice the dry, desolate land and the smog coming from the factory.
Railroad Transport
Green River and Trona both have immediate access to the North American rail network. Trona has its own railroad which runs from Trona to the nearby town of Mojave. In Mojave, unit trains made of dozens of hopper cars carrying hundreds of tons of soda ash are picked up by the Union Pacific Railroad, the largest railroad in North America. In Green River the Union Pacific has direct access to the mines, leading to them completely dominating soda ash transport in the US (UP, n.d.). From these two towns the soda ash is either sent to ports (mostly Portland and Port Arthur) for export, or sent east to factories (Moreno, 2016).
A Union Pacific train hauling soda ash
Proctor and Gamble Factories
Proctor and Gamble dominate detergent/soap production in America with brands such as Tide and Downy, controlling a solid 60% of the detergent market (Scott, n.d.). The railroad cars filled with soda ash are distributed to 2 major detergent production facilities in Alexandria, LA and Lima, OH (Scott, n.d.). At these facilities the detergent will also be packaged in plastic bottles. Following this, it will be transported across the nation on trucks and trains to various distribution centers, retailers, and eventually into the hands of millions of Americans.
Due to it being an ingredient in detergent/soap, pretty much all Americans consume soda ash. It is important as it allows even distribution of cleaning agents and is especially useful at cleaning off alcohol and grease (ANSAC, n.d.). In a time when washing our hands (and masks) is especially important, soda ash is very relevant.
The Proctor and Gamble factory in Lima, Ohio
COVID-19 Impact on Supply Chain
Finally, the supply chain of soda ash was affected by COVID-19. The closure of non-essential factories that use soda ash in glass production led to demand for soda ash dropping dramatically. Although demand did increase from more people using cleaning products more regularly, it wasn’t enough to make up for the deficit, prompting some mines to slow production (Hancock, 2020). Union Pacific was also affected by COVID-19, with rail traffic dropping sharply due to a decline in manufacturing and then skyrocketing due to a pandemic-caused rise in ecommerce. This increase in rail traffic has led to some complications as railroads had a worker shortage as a result of the pandemic and mass layoffs (Mahmassani, et al., 2021). Although somewhat less soda ash has been moving along the rails (although demand is returning), more trains in general along with less workers has led to delays, especially at some of the ports where soda ash is exported.
Cargo ships anchored outside of the Port of LA/Long Beach stuck in a traffic jam. Some of these ships may be waiting to pick up soda ash.
Conclusion
In conclusion, soda ash has a complicated and nuanced role in our society. It helps us fight disease, but mining it can lead to poisoning. It keeps us clean while the supply chain pollutes our ecosystem. Millions of us interact with it but most of it comes from two tiny barren desert towns.
Most of Green River, Wyoming as seen from the air in December 2007. Notice all the soda ash trains lined up in the center of town and the barren land surrounding it.