Resource Efficiency in the Minerals and Metals Sector
Dr John AthertonSenior Program Director
UNEP/OECD Workshop – Paris 23/25 April 2008
2
Overview
• Understanding the Challenges
• A life cycle based response– Materials Stewardship
• Creating renewable materials
• Efficient metrics
3
Resource Challenges
• Demand for minerals and metals is increasing
• Prices high due to tight supply
• Mining is an environmentally invasive activity
• Major deposits in developing countries
• Contribution to sustainable development
• Security of nation state raw material supply
Data Source: Khomei Halada, National Institute for Materials Science, Japan (25.9.2007)
0
10,000
20,000
30,000
40,000
50,000
2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050
US
UK
Japan
Italy
Germany
France
Russia
India
China
Brazil
Cu
0200,000400,000600,000800,000
1,000,0001,200,0001,400,0001,600,0001,800,000
2005
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
Cu
(K to
n)
4
Consumption vs Use
• Policy response to non-renewable resource depletion– reduce consumption– emissions control and waste management– emphasise non-renewability of the resource (ores and naturally
occurring minerals)– paucity of consideration for social dimension
Maximising Value
• A new policy perspective– a life cycle approach– conserve materials– emphasise durability and recyclability of metals– sustainable use
5
Maximizing Value - Objective
• Maximizing Value was created to help ICMM and its members understand materials stewardship and its application. It supports a number of ICMM’s SD Principles in particular:
# 8 “facilitate and encourage responsible product design, use, re-use and recycling and disposal of our products” and…
# 5 “seek continual improvement in our health and safety performance”
# 6 “continually seek ways to improve environmental performance”
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What is Materials Stewardship?
• Materials stewardship means responsibly providing materials and supervising material flows to create maximum societal value and minimum impact on humans and the environment.
• 4 Key Themes »»
1. Take a Systems Perspective– Understanding material flows and life
cycle benefits
2. Build new and strengthen existing relationships
– Interacting with other players in the value chain
3. Optimize the production and application of minerals and metals
– Implementing Eco-efficiency
4. Contribute to a robust, accessible base of information to support decision making
– Transparent sharing and reporting of data and information
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Process and Product Stewardship
Mining
Smelting and refining
Concentration
Exploration
PROCESSSTEWARDSHIP
Societal demand for minerals and metals
Design and Manufacture
Fabrication
Use
Disposal
PRODUCTSTEWARDSHIP
Remanufacture
Reuse
Recycling
Return to Environment
Materials Stewardship
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Maximizing Value through Process Stewardship
• Resource endowment - good governance in the management and investment of revenues
• Community development -building sustainable communities for the life time of the mine as well as post mining.
• Reducing environmental impacts – biodiversity policy
• Reduced emissions and energy efficiency.
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Maximizing Value through Product Stewardship
• Risk assessment and communication
• Design for environment
• Product policy
• Innovation
• Creating a “Renewable Materials” society
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Maximizing Value through Materials Recycling
• Metals can be recycled repeatedly without loss of value• Maximum efficiency through reuse / recycling
– Reduced energy demand– Conservation of raw materials– Reduced environmental impacts
• Promoting a “Renewable Materials Society”
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Ensure Efficiency of Recycling
• Promoting a Renewable Materials Society requires
Appropriate metrics
Understanding of material flows
Determination of material pools – local, regional and global
Materials not waste orientated public policy
Public private partnerships
Design for recycling
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Metrics of Recycling
• Macro metrics do not account for metals recycling
• Ratio of primary / recycled metals production is flawed
• No account of – metal durability– metal life cycle– rate of collection– unprocessed stock
Recycled metals
Metals possible to collect (old + new scrap)RER=
Overall Recycling Efficiency Rate
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Material Cycle – Type 2
Alloy loopRecycling retains metal A and B in alloy material loop
Metal B Primary production
Metal A Primary production
Use
Manufacture
Metal product fabrication
Collection & Disassembly
Loss (disposal and emissions)
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Preserving Natural Capital
• VAL’EAS™ battery recycling process - sustainable and cost-efficient• Umicore is the only company in the world proposing a real closed loop
solution for Li-ion batteries combined with an environmentally sound management of these end-of-life batteries.
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Conclusions
• Resource efficiency in the minerals and metals sector is realised through the implementation of sustainable development principles throughout the life cycle of minerals and metals.
• A life cycle management approach to minerals and metals is required where the fulcrum is the material and the principal objective is to capitalise on the renewability of metals.
• Materials Stewardship is a key framework condition, where all stakeholders have a shared responsibility to maximise the value of materials.
www.icmm.comICMM
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United Kingdom
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7467 5078Fax: +44 (0) 20 7467 5079
Email: [email protected]
THANK YOU
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