Sustainable and Responsible Critical Mineral Supply Chains

Sustainable andResponsible CriticalMineral Supply Chains Guidance for policy makers INTERNATIONAL ENERGYAGENCY The IEA examines thefull spectrumof energy issuesincluding oil, gas andcoal supply anddemand, renewableenergy technologies,electricity markets,energy efficiency,access to energy,demand sidemanagement andmuch more. Throughits work, the IEAadvocates policies thatwill enhance thereliability, affordabilityand sustainability ofenergy in its31member countries,13associationcountries and beyond. IEA membercountries: IEA associationcountries: AustraliaAustriaBelgiumCanadaCzech RepublicDenmarkEstoniaFinlandFranceGermanyGreeceHungaryIrelandItalyJapanKoreaLithuaniaLuxembourgMexicoNetherlandsNew ZealandNorwayPolandPortugalSlovak RepublicSpainSwedenSwitzerlandRepublic of TürkiyeUnited KingdomUnited States ArgentinaBrazilChinaEgyptIndiaIndonesiaKenyaMoroccoSenegalSingaporeSouth AfricaThailandUkraine This publication and anymap included herein arewithout prejudice to thestatus of or sovereignty overany territory, to thedelimitation of internationalfrontiers and boundaries andto the name of any territory,city or area. The EuropeanCommission alsoparticipates in thework of the IEA Source: IEA.International Energy AgencyWebsite: www.iea.org Abstract Asdemand grows for critical minerals to support clean energy technologydeployment,potential new mines and processing facilities will put growingpressure on people, the environment, communities and Indigenous Peoples. Thisreport explores how the environmental, social and governance impacts of miningand processing operations can limit the critical mineral supplies needed for cleanenergy transitions and outlines five key recommendations for policy makers toensure that critical mineral supply chains are sustainable and responsible. It alsoincludes deep dives on six priority areas that have important implications forsupply security: water, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, human rights,communities and corruption. This report is released alongside an update to theCritical Minerals Policy Tracker.The 2023 update includes over 200 new policies, laws and regulations andincludesa special focus on policies aimed at environmental,social andgovernance issues. Acknowledgements This report was prepared by the International Energy Agency (IEA) Office of LegalCounsel (OLC). This report was prepared in close consultation with and with thesupport of the Environmental, Social and Governance Task Force of the CriticalMineralsWorking Party(CMWP).The report’s principal authors were K.C.Michaels, Alexandra Hegarty and Joyce Raboca, with a major contribution byTomás de Oliveira Bredariol. Other IEA colleagues who contributed to this workinclude Eric Buisson, Juliette Denis-Senez, Noah Gipson, Lisa Shakhnazaryanand Sofie Ulrix. Tim Gould, Tae-Yoon Kim and Pascal Laffont provided invaluablecomments and feedback. Colleagues from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Centre for Responsible Business Conductalso provided indispensable input and review, including Benjamin Katz, Cäcilie LeGallic, Louis Maréchal, Ken Menz and Emily Norton. Valuable comments and feedback were received from external experts, including: Caroline AvanCassie BoggsGrant BromhalOliver BrownElisabeth CaesensEllen CareyAssheton CarterBen ChalmersVincenzo ConfortiAidan DavyPierre De PascalStefan DebruyneKristi Disney BrucknerSebastian DunnettJason FarrKatie FedosenkoSusannah FitzgeraldAnne-Marie FleuryDiego Francesco MarinGudrun Franken Business Human Rights Resource CentreMining law expertUnited States Department of EnergyUnited Nations Environment ProgrammeResource MattersCirculorFair Cobalt AllianceThe Mining Association of CanadaGlencoreInternational Council on Mining and MetalsThe Initiative for Responsible Mining AssuranceSQMThe Initiative for Responsible Mining AssuranceUnited Nations Environment ProgrammeOxfamTeck ResourcesNatural Resource Governance InstituteGlencoreEuropean Environmental BureauInstitute for Geosciences and Natural Resources,GermanyRenault Emily GreenspanSolange HarphamDaniel HillAbigail HunterFred KabandaSophie LuCecilia MatteaFerdinand MaubrySusannah MclarenTom MoerenhoutMarcella MunroZubeyde OysulLaura PlatchkovIsabelle Ramdoo OxfamParis Peace ForumNatural Resources CanadaSAFEAfrican Development BankHSBCTransport and EnvironmentTeslaCobalt InstituteCenter on Global Energy Policy at Columbia UniversityTeck ResourcesSAFEFederal Office for the Environment, SwitzerlandThe Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals,Metals and Sustainable DevelopmentRobin RoelsEU Raw Materials CoalitionYblin Roman EscobarSIRGE CoalitionSebastian SahlaExtractive Industries Transparency InitiativeMatthieu SalomonNatural Resource Governance InstitutePayal SampatEarthworksKatherine ShapiroNatural Resources CanadaVeronika ShimeNational Mining AssociationMatthew TehAustralian Critical Minerals OfficeJim WormingtonHuman Rights Watch Finally, thanks also to the IEA Communications