RRM 2024 - Critical Choices - Day 4 in review

In the fourth day of its 2024 conference Responsible Raw Materials connected ideas across all levels of mineral value chains, from responsible artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) to the drivers of holistic performance in large-scale mining (LSM), from responsible finance and pricing to criticality strategies redefining global relationships.

The key takeaway is precisely in the necessity and value of this multi-dimensional and dynamic approach: there is no silver bullet, but a multitude of critical choices which must be guided by shared ambitions, agreed principles and honest brokering of outcomes - and their consequences.

To foster this, Joss Colchester introduced us to systems innovation, a new approach to innovation that tries to tackle complex social and environmental challenges through the use of more holistic and innovation-driven approaches: find out more by connecting to the dynamic System Innovation Network of 21,000+ members embracing complexity and aiming to change the underlying structure of systems and enable transformational change, rather than incremental "innovation as usual". Building on this, Miran Norderland discussed the difficulty for private sector organisations of navigating new environments, including shifts in criticality and responsible sourcing policy in leading consumer markets, with new geopolitical risks affecting already fragile supply chains. To tackle complex issues such as corruption in this context, Talisman, winner of the USAID JET Minerals Challenge, proposes to leverage open and digital data (i.e. information accessible to everyone with an internet connection, in a digital format and reusable) in a methodology framework aiming to 'filter the noise' to make sense of their context and its rapid evolution.

Fighting COVID presents so many similarities with the critical minerals rush: everyone chasing the same thing at the same time from a limited number of suppliers; bigger, richer actors are throwing money at the issue ... but the pandemic experience demonstrated that this doesn't necessarily result in access to the quality product needed

Grace Humphries echoed some of these geostrategic, providing an update on the UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy (July 2022), refreshed delivery approach (March 2023) and the work to deliver on these ambitions, within the context of a rapidly evolving international and geopolitical landscape. Emily Iona Stewart provided an insightful perspective on the external action pillar of this agenda for the EU, pointing out that to 'become first choice' the EU will need a rethink of its geopolitical understandings and an enhanced offer to tempt resource rich countries away from established trade links with China... and to overcome early blunders in signing strategic partnerships which have yet to deliver visible value - for either party.

These strategies both require and entail significant redesign of mineral markets. Margery (Marge) Ryan explored the concept of ‘critical metals efficiency’ as a corollary to energy efficiency, demonstrating the crucial necessity of fostering complementary transition solutions to lower overall intensity of mineral use, drive greater diversity in the suite of ‘energy metals’ and create greater resilience in the energy transition as a whole. In this regard, Julie-Ann Adams spotlighted the possibilities in e-waste and waste battery, and the role of the European Electronics Recyclers Association (EERA) and European Battery Recycling Association (EBRA) in regulatory monitoring and collaborations with other bodies worldwide. Soad Chambazi discussed how Benchmark Mineral Intelligence integrates sustainability to its analysis of lithium ion battery supply chain trends and pricing and recently launched sustainable nickel and lithium price services, in response to growing demand. These are assessed using primary data collected directly from active market participants and only consider transactions for material that originates from industry leading producers according to Benchmark's own sustainability index. Martina Matarazzo and Sara Nicoletti demonstrated the necessity and value of value chain data to increase accountability, touring Resource Matters' excellent cobalt supply chain mapping tool.

Importantly, Olivier Dubourdieu reminded us that issues of responsibility, transparency and sustainability arise in all minerals, including those not on criticality lists: mica, renowned for its versatility has a broad spectrum of industrial applications and is primarily sourced from ASM operations in India and Madagascar; given the complex and intricate challenges inherent in mica mining communities, companies in the Responsible Mica Initiative have chosen to join forces and collaborate, pooling their efforts towards the development of a responsible and sustainable supply chain.  Carolyn Burns and Steven Sannoh also shared some lessons learnt from innovative approaches to responsible sourcing of ASM diamonds in Sierra Leone, and some of their concerns in reshaping mineral value chains in the context of the critical minerals rush.

Yet even as mineral value chains shift and adapt to the new policy and geopolitical context, mining itself is undergoing a transformation and redesigning relationships with many of its stakeholders. Jamie Strauss reminded us of the complexity of this multi-level evolution and the role of responsible investment and financing in driving it. Although sustainability tools and principles have been in place in mining for a while, there is now a stronger alignment of intent and actions, in the execution of projects and reporting for risk-informed and forward-looking decision-making. Jocelyn Fraser called for systemic change, with mining to move from risk mitigation to business models for sustainability, embracing more collaborative approaches, particularly as the urgency of the criticality agenda may be misconstrued to lead to expedited permitting and increasing impacts, affecting trust and ultimately disallowing a just and resilient transition. Glenn Sigurdson,C.M,K.C echoed this in his discussion of how companies can approach communities armed with rights and expectations to design new ways of interacting based on respect, reciprocity and relationships, reconcile top-down approaches with ground-up realities and challenge the world of standards and norms to be more understandable and practical.

The pendulum is swinging from confrontation to collaboration, from consultation to consent, recognizing that relationships are assets, no less significant than mineral reserves. A new value equation has emerged that is based on understanding the relationship between the “how” of engagement and the potential for achieving resilient outcomes.

MinSus, the Regional Cooperation for the Sustainable Management of Mineral Resources in the Andean Region project, is precisely rising to the challenge: Nicolas Maennling discussed how they are making certification schemes relevant for local stakeholders and improvement of governance in mining regions, with a 2022 recommendations document now being piloted in the Salar de Atacama. Thabisile Phumo, APR, FPRISA gave a masterclass in taking responsibility, reclaiming legacy and fostering sustainable development through social cohesion, drawing from the Marikana case study: with the acquisition of Lonmin in 2019, Sibanye-Stillwater embraced the inherited Marikana legacy and set out to ensure that the change of ownership served as a catalyst for transformation. The Marikana Renewal process was launched in 2020 to to rebuild trust and to provide the socio-economic redress necessary to secure a long-term future for all stakeholders. Guided by the themes of honour, engage and create, the renewal process was inspired by a vision to collaborate in creating a positive culture to ensure a fair and equitable future for all.

Anne Thompson alerted to the risks of "parachute" geoscience, referring to the conduct of research in a region or country without developing collaborative relationships with local researchers or communities, or excluding them from positions of significance on publications, and how this paradigm can and must be reversed. This links directly to issues of skills-building, and more widely to how capacity is deployed and leveraged across mineral operations and in connection with their context: an important lesson for many professionals and consultants in mining ! These and other topics will also be discussed during the SEG 2024 Conference: Sustainable Mineral Exploration and Development 27-30 September 2024 in Windhoek, Namibia: support opportunities will be available to facilitate attendance for professionals from all horizons, so please be in touch at hello@responsiblerawmaterials.com and we can help to make connections with the managers of the dedicated accessibility fund.

Reporting by Ludivine Wouters