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07/04/2022

Euromines stands for sustainable mining in Europe for Europe

At Euromines General Assembly on 5th April 2022 the “EUROMINES STANDS FOR SUSTAINABLE MINING IN EUROPE FOR EUROPE” carta was approved. Euromines supports the Paris Agreement and the EU climate target of net-zero emissions by 2050. To reach this goal, sustainable and resilient European value chains are necessary, firmly based on sustainable raw materials. To promote fair and sustainable development Euromines members support the EU principles for sustainable raw materials supply (published on 6th September 2021).

Euromines members agree that high performance in supplying the raw materials Europe needs is the basis for a sustainable future.

Euromines supports the Paris Agreement and the EU climate target of net-zero emissions by 2050. To reach this goal, sustainable and resilient European value chains are necessary, firmly based on sustainably mined raw materials. To promote a fair and sustainable development Euromines members support the EU principles for sustainable raw materials supply (published 6th September 2021).

Euromines underlines that the demand for raw materials will grow the more our society increases sustainability in living, working and producing toward climate neutrality by 2050. Ambitious climate targets increase demand for metals and minerals for climate technologies such as renewable energy and e-mobility – up to six times overall and up to 42 times for individual metals and minerals, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)1 . Recycling is important and a natural part of a sustainable future but will not be enough. Maximized recycling only reduces demand for primary metals by about 15-30 % by 2050, according to the World Bank 2.

With this in mind, it is of utmost importance that our underlying raw materials base is sustainable. The European mining industry is committed to deliver this already but also requires  appropriate framework conditions to ensure security of supply for raw materials in and for Europe.

Euromines Members are engaged to secure a sustainable and verifiable supply of raw materials and champion the EU principles for sustainable raw materials supply.

To guarantee high social and environmental performance by our industry and at the same time protect the competitiveness of European companies it needs to be ensured that operators with poor sustainability performance do not undermine the competitiveness of responsible European mining operators. To achieve this, trade criteria need to be developed to prevent “sustainability leakage” outside of the EU / EEA.

The full version is available here.

 

1 IEA World Energy Outlook Special Report (2021) – The Role of Critical Minerals in Clean Energy Transitions

2 World Bank Group (2020) Minerals for Climate Action – The Mineral Intensity of the Clean Energy Transition

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