Illuminating metal supply chains
The stakeholder event How do we create a more resilient critical mineral supply chain? was held on 29 January 2026 at University College London, with hybrid participation. Convened under the MINERS Project and led by the Institute for Sustainable Resources (UCL) in partnership with the British Geological Survey and the Lumet Project, lead by University … Read more
One of the areas of work within Lumet is life cycle assessment (LCA) of metal and mineral value-chains. Although LCA is commonly considered synonymous with “carbon footprints,” there is at least one crucial difference: LCA looks beyond carbon. Climate change is certainly an important issue, but it is not the only important issue. In their … Read more
“The current approach to sustainability is not working” This is the clear message of a recent survey of 844 sustainability experts across 72 countries. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this concern is especially loud in North America, where sustainability, DEI and ESG are facing a strong backlash. The new report, jointly developed by GlobeScan, ERM and Volans , … Read more
[Original press release 10 July 2025 at Environment, University of Waterloo.] The University of Waterloo’s Lumet – Illuminating Metal Supply Chains project has secured an additional $50,000 in collaborative funding through a new joint grant with researchers at University College London (UCL). The boost builds on Lumet’s existing $1 million NSERC Alliance Missions grant (2024-2027), bringing fresh … Read more
The University of Waterloo’s Lumet – Illuminating Metal Supply Chains research program has secured $266,664 in new support from the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) under its Critical Battery Materials Initiative (CBMI). The multi-year collaboration, titled “Benchmarking of novel materials and processes for EV lithium-ion batteries using life-cycle assessment,” will expand Lumet’s industry-leading research … Read more
In November the International Energy Agency (IEA) published “Recycling of Critical Minerals – Analysis and key findings.” In all, it is a rather vanilla report that is, of course, beautifully presented and will be well used. The IEA has touched on all the obvious points and done so fluently, but offers few insights or novelty. Our … Read more
By: Steven B. Young The 2024 study Standardizing “Green” Extractivism: Chinese & Western Environmental, Social, and Governance Instruments in the Critical Mineral Sector by Raphael Deberdt et al. examines the growing adoption of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards by mining companies, with a focus on Chinese firms. Given China’s dominant role in the global … Read more
Lumet is developing a database and map of voluntary sustainability standards relevant to mining, minerals, metals and materials. Our initial guidance draws on our previous work on sustainability standards where we examined and categorized standards according to: Since that early analysis we have added communications as an important dimension. How the reporting of conformity to … Read more