“Critical Feasibility: Integrating CRM Supply Chains into the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources” (CRM-SCM-UNFC)

Raw materials are one crux in the current efforts to address the issue of climate change. On the one hand, critical raw materials (CRMs) are central to move towards a low-emission and green economy.

Large-scale electrification of energy systems poses new requirements for energy storage technologies leading to an increasing need for ’battery minerals’ such as cobalt, lithium, and graphite. On the other hand, the supply and demand of these minerals requires a high level of coordination between countries extracting and exporting these battery minerals which is increasingly challenging with current trends in global trade. Meeting the market need is contingent on an efficient supply chain that requires both technological and governance solutions. We apply research expertise from engineering and social science to develop a pathway for establishing a systematic and sustainable direction towards a climate-smart framework for assessing mineral supply chains using the concepts of the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC).