Sustainable and Responsible Critical Mineral Supply Chains

As demand grows for critical minerals to support clean energy technology deployment, potential new mines and processing facilities will put growing pressure on people, the environment, communities and Indigenous Peoples. This report explores how the environmental, social and governance impacts of mining and processing operations can limit the critical mineral supplies needed for clean energy transitions and outlines five key recommendations for policy makers to ensure that critical mineral supply chains are sustainable and responsible. It also includes deep dives on six priority areas that have important implications for supply security: water, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity, human rights, communities and corruption.

This report is released alongside an update to the Critical Minerals Policy Tracker. The 2023 update includes over 200 new policies, laws and regulations and includes a special focus on policies aimed at environmental, social and governance issues.