Australia has joined an international coalition aimed at upholding sustainable and environmentally responsible mining practices for the critical minerals sector.
The Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance will help Australia uphold its commitment to sustainability and the highest environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards for mining and processing of critical minerals, which are crucial in the manufacturing of low-emissions technologies.
Australia is known for its abundant reserves of critical minerals, including rare earths, which are important inputs to clean technologies, such as solar panels, wind turbines, and electric vehicle batteries.
Madeleine King, minister for resources and Northern Australia, emphasised the crucial role of mining and processing critical minerals in lowering the world’s emissions and developing ESG standards.
“Australia is strongly committed to sustainability and the highest environmental and social governance standards, and we believe the development of new low-emissions technologies provides a great opportunity to promote those ESG standards across the world,” the minister said.
The alliance, led by Canada, is slated to include the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and the United States.
“Australia congratulates Canada for taking the initiative, and we are proud to become a foundation member of the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance,” King added.
Members of the alliance will commit to developing and using critical minerals that harness a nature-forward approach by collaborating with industry on practices that prevent biodiversity loss, protect species at risk and support nature protection.
They would also work to promote safe working conditions and responsible labour standards to protect local and indigenous communities.
In addition, the alliance seeks to adopt requirements for reclamation and remediation to close and return mine sites to their natural state in order to restore ecosystems.
The group also aims to build a circular economy by accelerating the reuse and recycling of critical minerals, which may reduce the number of new mines to supply the minerals needed.
The Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance was launched amid the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal on 12 December.
