2609
Amplifying the German criticality system for mineral resources (ÖkoRess 1-3 )
The ÖkoRess project sought to ensure that environmental aspects were given greater consideration in the supply of primary mineral raw materials. In its first phase, experts from Projekt-Consult - together with a small group of German think tanks and public policy consultancies - developed a sound and practicable system enabling a reliable comparative assessment of different raw material extraction, processing, and refining activities.
In the second phase, the methodology for the assessment of the ecological availability of raw materials was tested by applying it to 51 abiotic raw materials. The results allowed a first sound prioritization to be made and introduced a focus on raw materials that are particularly critical in environmental terms to the criticality debate. These findings enriched the ongoing debate on the subject of sustainable resource management in Germany, Europe, and internationally. Firstly, by contributing scientific findings on relevant environmental impacts and socioeconomic contexts, and, secondly, by formulating concrete recommendations for the application of the system in the framework of political decision-making processes.
The third phase, led by Projekt-Consult, made a substantial contribution to the debate on sustainability, transparency, and responsibility in the supply of raw materials. This was achieved by providing transparent, widely available, and consolidated information on the environmental hazard potentials of the most important mining locations for the mass metals aluminum, copper, and iron. An interactive map was developed, on which each of the 100 largest - and most relevant for the German economy - mining sites of these mass metals was entered and the collected data and evaluation results were stored.
The link to the finalised map here.
