Library | ESG issues

Materials Sourcing & Efficiency

Materials Sourcing & Efficiency focuses on reducing raw material use and integrating social, ethical, and environmental considerations into sourcing decisions. By enhancing supply chain transparency and promoting circularity, it mitigates risks and fosters long-term value creation.

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Critical minerals traceability for energy and economic security

International Energy Agency (IEA)
IEA finds traceability systems can strengthen critical mineral supply chain resilience by improving visibility, diversification and responsible sourcing. Adoption is increasing but remains uneven due to costs, interoperability issues and limited incentives. The report recommends harmonised standards, financial support and international co-operation to improve energy and economic security.
Research
24 April 2026

Tackling governance and financing for sustainability transitions

International Resource Panel
The report argues current financial systems misallocate capital towards resource-intensive activities, hindering sustainability transitions. It recommends policy, governance and financial reforms to redirect investment towards resource efficiency, low-carbon development and equitable transition pathways, particularly in resource-dependent economies.
Research
6 June 2025

IFC's performance standards on environmental and social sustainability

International Finance Corporation
The IFC Performance Standards (2012) form part of the Sustainability Framework, setting requirements for clients to identify, manage, and mitigate environmental and social risks in financed projects. They comprise eight standards covering areas such as labour, resource efficiency, biodiversity, and community impacts, and are widely used as a global benchmark for responsible investment.
Research
1 January 2012

Recharge for rights: Ranking the human rights due diligence reporting of leading electric vehicle makers

Amnesty International
Amnesty International assesses 13 leading EV makers’ public reporting on human rights due diligence in battery mineral supply chains. It finds uneven progress since 2017, but no company demonstrates adequate alignment with international standards; Mercedes-Benz and Tesla lead, while BYD ranks last.
Research
24 October 2024

Market assessment on critical minerals innovation in developing countries

United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
This report assesses critical minerals innovation in developing countries, focusing on midstream processing and downstream manufacturing, recycling and end-of-life treatment. It reviews 30 countries, highlights policy and financing gaps, and recommends stronger infrastructure, coordination, technology transfer and support for innovation ecosystems.
Research
26 November 2024

openLCA Nexus

GreenDelta
openLCA Nexus is an online repository providing access to life cycle assessment databases for environmental and sustainability analysis. It hosts free and licensed datasets from multiple providers, covering energy, materials, agriculture, transport and waste, designed for use within the openLCA software environment.
Online tool/database

Minerals Intelligence Network for Europe (Minerals4EU)

Geological Survey of Finland (GTK)
Minerals4EU was a European mineral intelligence platform providing harmonised spatial and statistical data on mineral occurrences, mines and resources across EU member states. It featured a web portal, a European Minerals Yearbook and supported decision-making on raw materials supply and policy through integrated, interoperable data.
Online tool/database

European Minerals Knowledge Data Platform (Minerals4EU)

EuroGeoSurveys
Minerals4EU is an EU-supported initiative that created a harmonised minerals intelligence network and web portal, offering standardised European mineral resource data, a Minerals Yearbook and analytical studies. It supports policy decisions and raw materials supply security through shared georesource information across European geological surveys.
Online tool/database

Tools for circularity

International Council on Mining and Metals
This report outlines practical tools to help mining and metals companies integrate circular economy principles. It explains business drivers, regulatory context, metrics, and case studies, supporting financial and non-financial business cases for improved resource efficiency, value retention, and responsible production.
Research
1 October 2024

How the circular economy can revive the sustainable development goals: Priorities for immediate global action, and a policy blueprint for the transition to 2050

Chatham House
This report argues that embedding circular economy principles within the Sustainable Development Goals could revive stalled progress. It outlines five global policy priorities and proposes a 2050 blueprint linking circularity, inclusive growth, trade, finance and standards to post-2030 development agendas.
Research
18 September 2024

Global investor commission on mining 2030

Global investor commission on mining 2030
The report outlines an investor-led 10-year vision for a responsible, resilient mining sector. It sets goals to align capital, governance and stewardship with social and environmental standards, supporting mineral supply for the low-carbon transition while managing risk and long-term value.
Research
3 November 2025

The role of traceability in critical mineral supply chains

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
The report examines how traceability can support responsible critical mineral supply chains. It outlines policy drivers, system components, costs and limitations, and mineral-specific challenges, concluding that well-designed traceability can enhance due diligence, transparency and supply security when proportionate and risk-based.
Research
26 February 2025

Sustainable Lithium-ion batteries: Investor briefing

This investor briefing outlines sustainability risks and opportunities across the lithium-ion battery value chain. It examines mineral extraction, processing, manufacturing and end-of-life impacts, highlights supply-chain concentration and ESG risks, and provides guidance on disclosure, engagement, circularity and responsible investment strategies.
Research
19 May 2025

One-earth fashion: 33 transformation targets for a just fashion system within planetary boundaries

Public Eye
The report outlines fashion’s environmental and social impacts and proposes 33 time-bound transformation targets across materials, labour, value distribution and governance. It calls for reduced virgin inputs, fair working conditions and paradigm shifts to align the global fashion system with planetary boundaries and social justice.
Research
12 May 2024

ITI’s sustainable technology policy guide: Understanding AI’s role in the energy transition

Information Technology Industry Council (ITI)
The report outlines how AI increases energy demand yet supports sustainability through efficiency gains, improved forecasting, and advanced grid management. It recommends grid modernisation, expanded low-carbon power, enhanced data-centre resource efficiency, and lifecycle carbon management to enable reliable, sustainable deployment of next-generation technologies.
Research
21 September 2024

Risk at the source: Critical mineral supply chains and state-imposed forced labour in the Uyghur Region

Global Rights Compliance (GRC)
The report analyses how critical minerals sourced in the Uyghur Region—titanium, lithium, beryllium and magnesium—are linked to state-imposed forced labour. It identifies companies involved, downstream exposure risks, and implications for global supply chains, underscoring the need for stronger due diligence and avoidance of forced-labour-tainted inputs.
Research
10 June 2025
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