Green Economy Journal Issue 48

The path to BEING BETTER
SMART MINING
STEWARDS OF THE EARTH
European countries are working towards sourcing their
future minerals supply in a more responsible way, but the
challenge is to ensure that vulnerable stakeholders along
the value chain are not left out of the conversation.
BY SRK CONSULTING
The RE-SOURCING Project aims to promote responsible sourcing
through creating roadmaps for the renewable energy, mobility
and electronics sectors in the EU. Funded by the European
Commission under the Horizon 2020 project, RE-SOURCING is pursuing
its goal by building a responsible sourcing community among a range
of global stakeholders.
“On the strength of our historical involvement in the mining sector, SRK
Consulting has been drawn into the RE-SOURCING process, where our role
includes facilitating the engagement of stakeholders in Africa and Asia,”
says Andrew van Zyl, partner and principal consultant at SRK Consulting.
These zones, along with South America, are key mineral-supply regions
whose input to the consultation process is vital, adds Van Zyl, noting
that the areas have wrestled with a range of ESG issues that relate to
responsible mineral sourcing, such as artisanal mining and community
engagement. “A significant amount of mining best practice is in fact
emerging from developing countries that host mining sectors, which is
what we are looking to feed into the RE-SOURCING process,” he explains.
Key among the concerns of the responsible sourcing agenda is
environmental degradation, carbon emissions and climate change. The
recent United Nations IPCC report on climate change – which confirms
the severity of global environmental impacts – certainly raises the
urgency around the achievement of concerted world-wide action to
reduce global warming.
With most of the mining – that is, upstream activities in the mineral
value chain – conducted in emerging economies, and a significant portion
of downstream beneficiation and manufacturing occurring in wellestablished
economies, the stakeholders on different sides of this divide
can often have differing interpretations of “responsibility” in the sourcing
process. According to SRK principal consultant ESG Lisl Pullinger, this
means that charting an optimal path to the future requires the voices not
just of the primary mineral consumers but among the producing regions.
“A representative spread of stakeholder voices will help ensure future
policies do not unintentionally remove value along the value chain of
mineral production,” says Pullinger, “Especially where livelihoods may be
more vulnerable to changes introduced by new standards or hurdles to
market participation.”
Mindful of the complexity of finding common ground for progress,
RE-SOURCING is a multi-year process that works towards harmonising of
concepts in search of a global definition of responsible sourcing. This will
involve joint learning from innovative business cases around the world.
Bjanka Korb, senior engineer at SRK Consulting, highlights that hearing
different perspectives was an essential aspect of the current process – so
that all the implications of future responsible sourcing frameworks are well
considered before decisions are made and plans rolled out.
“There is undoubtedly a resounding call for action on global threats
like climate change and any proposed actions need careful thought in
Above, Lisl Pullinger.
Left, Andrew van
Zyl and Bjanka Korb
from SRK Consulting.
terms of their impact on vulnerable groups,” said Korb. The danger that the
RE-SOURCING process is working to avoid, is the development of a path
towards a green economy at the cost of those in the mineral supply chain
who are most vulnerable, says Pullinger.
“The terrain of the responsible sourcing discussion includes a range
of complexities around historical economic development trajectories,
making many stakeholders weary about who will benefit most from the
policy outcomes,” she says. “It is, however, a necessary engagement if we
are to find shared solutions to global challenges like climate change and
economic inequality.”
The current reality of environmental degradation, says Van Zyl, results in
large part from many countries “consuming cheaply” in the past – shifting
the externalised costs onto future generations. “That bill has now come
due, and the cost of the externalities needs to be addressed – which
includes becoming better stewards of our planet going forward,” he adds.
Among the planned events of the RE-SOURCING initiative is a Roadmap
Workshop on the Mobility Sector, to be held virtually in October this year;
Roadmap 2050 focuses on the key value chain steps of the Li-ion battery:
mining, cell production and recycling.
RE-SOURCING Virtual Conference: ON THE ROAD TO RESPONSIBLE
RESOURCING – How to achieve lasting impact
8-10 NOVEMBER 2021
The conference will provide you with the latest on responsible
sourcing through a mix of expert presentations and panel discussions.
REGISTER FOR EVENT HERE
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