Critical Raw Material Diplomacy

Critical Raw Material Diplomacy

Reliable access to Critical Raw Materials (CRM) is central for countries‘ economic development and as a part of green technologies to achieving ambitious sustainability goals, such as carbon neutrality. As a result, global competition for access to and control over CRM value chains is intensifying. This raises the question of how demand countries can become and remain attractive and credible partners for mineral-rich supply countries.

Development banks and international donor institutions have a long history of improving conditions in mining communities and along mineral supply chains through technical assistance projects. New progressive supply chain legislation is also an expression of how countries are taking responsibility beyond their borders. For successful raw material diplomacy, it is important to combine this experience as a credible partner in achieving environmental, social and governance (ESG) goals with the need to build new relationships and supply chains, particularly from countries that produce CRMs.

Projekt-Consult helps to:

• Connect partners from mineral producing and consuming countries.
• Combine supply security with responsible mineral sourcing.

We have worked on innovative policy approaches and concrete technical solutions for responsible raw materials management in more than 60 countries. This includes:

Designing tools for CRM policy analysis: Our studies and projects, deal with trade and investment data, material flows and production conditions in mining and develop analytical tools for policy makers. For example, we have analysed and quantified the ecological footprint of more than fifty raw materials to show that criticality has more than just an economic dimension.

Resilient value chains: Projekt-Consult conducts research and advisory projects for governments interested in understanding the reality of the extractive sector in emerging and developing countries. This includes advising governments and regional organisations on the long-term security and sustainability of the raw material sector and developing strategies for responsible mineral production and supply – for example in the strategic dialogue on sustainable raw materials.

Implementing the EU Raw Materials Strategy: We help institutions in Europe to translate the political goal of supply diversification into concrete actions in their partner countries. Projekt-Consult helped establish one of the first Partnerships on CRMs in the EU and Ukraine, demonstrating the potential for investment - and the ESG barriers that need to be addressed.

Connecting partners along the supply chain: We partner with companies, industry associations, and research institutions to bridge gaps in international mineral supply chains. For example, we have created a unique platform for knowledge exchange which included series of events to bring together hundreds of stakeholders from the mining (tech) sector in Europe and Latin America, both digitally and in person.

Analysing Data on CRM demand and supply: We have analysed the demand, requirements and production conditions of many key CRMs, such as copper, nickel, tungsten, tantalum and tin, to provide data-based recommendations for a national CRM strategy, for example in Indonesia.   

Contact

Projekt-Consult GmbH
Phone: +49 40 603 06 740
E-mail: info@projekt-consult.de

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