New Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance to push ‘nature-positive’ mining

Canada has joined the launch of the new Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance that seeks to pursue environmentally-sound and responsible mining, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson announced Monday.

Speaking at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, Wilkinson said Alliance members will commit to developing and sourcing critical minerals through a “nature-positive” approach by collaborating with industry on practices that respect biodiversity and local and Indigenous communities.

Other Alliance members include the United States and United Kingdom, Australia, France, Germany and Japan.

“The Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance is a historic step forward for Canada and our international partners in our collective efforts to secure the responsibly sourced critical minerals we need to power the clean energy transition,” Wilkinson said. “[Members] will put human rights, sustainability and the highest environmental, social and governance standards at the heart of our critical mineral supply chains, helping to build the prosperous, low-carbon economy of the future.”

Among its goals, the Alliance harmonizes with the G7 2030 Nature Compact, inked in 2021 which pledges signatories to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030.

Under the Alliance, members also agree to respect the rights of local and Indigenous communities through engagement and including such communities in the economic benefits of mining; fight climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and push mining, processing and recycling processes that advance sustainability; and building a circular economy by promoting the reuse and recycling of critical minerals, which could reduce the number of new mines needed for supplying minerals.

Governments in the partnership will also act through institutions such as the United Nations Environment Assembly, the International Energy Agency, the World Bank, and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development to support sustainable mining, participate in multi-stakeholder and industry initiatives that promote high standards in mining to promote diversity and inclusion in the resource and energy sectors, such as the Equal by 30 Campaign.

Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) said in a news release that dialogue on deeper collaboration on sustainable critical minerals is anticipated at the International Mines Ministers Summit at PDAC in March 2023.

The formation of the international critical minerals body comes just three days after NRCan released details of its Critical Minerals Strategy, an almost $3.8 billion plan to develop Canada’s critical minerals industry by accelerating permitting, ramping up infrastructure construction in remote areas and partnering with Indigenous communities.