Resourcing Future Generations Requires a New Approach to Material Stewardship

Edmund Nickless and Natalia Yakovleva ()
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Edmund Nickless: International Union of Geological Sciences, Beijing 100037, China
Natalia Yakovleva: Department of Strategy, Sustainability and Entrepreneurship, KEDGE Business School, Paris Campus, 40 Avenue des Terroirs de France, 75012 Paris, France

Resources, 2022, vol. 11, issue 8, 1-17

Abstract: The paper aims to examine sector policies for securing mineral resources for future generations in ways that are economically, environmentally and socially responsible, guided by the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 and carbon neutrality by 2050. This study proposes a roadmap for responsible mineral production, looking at drivers and goals, trends in resource demand and supply, technological and responsibility issues as well as current solutions. We conclude that while adopting the principles of a circular economy by minimizing waste, improving design for recovery, recycling alone will not be sufficient to meet the demand for an increasingly complex range of metals, and consequently primary mining will be needed for the foreseeable future. Various authors have proposed top-down approaches for sustainable mineral sourcing and co-ordination of global supply, but there is no evidence of these being taken up. Instead, to accelerate the transition towards sustainable, responsible and low-carbon mineral production, we suggest there is a role for ‘material stewardship’ defined and implemented through the actions of various players in the life cycle or value chain of specific minerals and metals. That bottom-up process has begun, though there is as yet no common definition of the term.

Keywords: sustainable development goals; mineral production; E-minerals; climate change; circular economy; material stewardship; metal and mineral accounting (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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