Commodity sourcing intelligence
Commodity sourcing intelligence: qualify who might supply or buy
Raw material sourcing in niche physical markets starts with a question that price screens and procurement suites cannot settle: which company and site handle the material, how does the commercial route work, and what must a trader verify before discussing specification or volume?
What it means in practice
Commodity sourcing intelligence is the work of mapping counterparties in markets that have no exchange and no complete directory: by-products, waste-derived feedstocks and mid-volume chemicals. It answers practical questions:
- Who collects or produces this material at a physical site, and what volume remains to be checked?
- Which plants publicly show they take it, and for which route: fuel, oleochemistry, feed or chemicals?
- Which "suppliers" are resellers of the same upstream source?
- Is this company a producer, a trader with storage, or a broker that never takes title?
- What is proven, what is plausible, and what nobody publishes?
- Where are the sites, and which ones overlap with a market I already trade?
Why search engines and directories fall short
Search for "glycerine buyers", "acid oil buyers" or "animal fat buyers" and most results are B2B lead boards: unverified buy requests, no roles, no specifications, no evidence. Search for "used cooking oil buyers" and you mostly find collectors paying restaurants for their fryer oil. That is a real market, but not the tanker trade.
Official registers fail the other way. An animal by-product approval, a waste-carrier licence or a REACH registration is accurate, but it tells you a company may handle a material, not that it wants to buy yours. OxyLens treats sources like these as qualification at most, never as proof of demand, and looks for commercial evidence separately.
How it differs from tools traders already use
| Tool | Main job | What it doesn't give you |
|---|---|---|
| Price reporting agencies | Assessed prices and market news | Named counterparties per grade and site |
| Trade and customs data | Flows by customs code, origin and sometimes consignee | Roles, specifications, and whether a consignee is a producer, reseller or one-off importer |
| Commodity trading and risk management (CTRM) software | Recording deals, positions, logistics and risk | Discovery of new counterparties |
| Procurement suites and supplier discovery tools | Indirect and direct spend, supplier onboarding | Coverage of fragmented by-product and feedstock markets |
| B2B directories and lead boards | Company names and buy requests | Verification, facility identity and evidence |
| OxyLens | Companies, sites and their roles per commodity, with evidence and explainable opportunities | Prices, deal capture or guaranteed completeness |
These tools complement each other. A trader might use a price assessment to value a lot, OxyLens to decide who to call, and a CTRM system to record the deal.
Who it is for
- Physical traders in feedstocks, oils, fats and chemicals looking for new outlets or sources, including in a neighbouring commodity.
- Feedstock and raw-material buyers at biodiesel, HVO, oleochemical and chemical plants who want more than their usual suppliers.
- Sourcing teams that need to know whether a new supplier is the producer or one more reseller of the same constrained material.
Country source maps
Each country page shows what OxyLens has reviewed there, a few named sellers with dated evidence, and the rules for the market you sell into.
Honest scope
OxyLens has 36 live source markets in 16 countries for category 3 and category 1/2 animal fat, glycerine and used cooking oil. See the current country and commodity combinations. Public company and official-source proof is available for three Poland examples: category 3 animal fat, glycerine and used cooking oil. Guides to free fatty acids and acid oils and monopropylene glycol are research context, not live Source Finder markets. Coverage varies and no market is a complete merchant database. Roles distinguish fact, inference and unknown. Read how to use the evidence.
Start with the free account
See who sells in every market, with town, role and evidence level, before you pay. Full access is €120 a month or €1,200 a year, excl. VAT.
Every market's seller list, plus 3 full records of your choice with contacts. Sign in with an email link. No card, no password.
Need help? Contact OxyLens. Already have access? Open OxyLens.