Resource Efficiency in the Minerals and Metals Sector
Dr John Atherton Senior Program Director UNEP/OECD Workshop – Paris 23/25 April 2008 Overview
• Understanding the Challenges
• A life cycle based response – Materials Stewardship
• Creating renewable materials
• Efficient metrics
2 Resource Challenges
US 50,000 UK Cu • Demand for minerals and metals is 40,000 Japan increasing Italy 30,000 Germany • Prices high due to tight supply 20,000 France Rus sia • Mining is an environmentally 10,000 invasive activity India 0 China • Major deposits in developing 200020102020203020402050Brazil countries 1,800,000 1,600,000 • Contribution to sustainable 1,400,000 development 1,200,000 1,000,000 800,000 • Security of nation state raw material 600,000 Cu (KCu ton) supply 400,000 200,000 0
Data Source: Khomei Halada, National Institute for 2005 2010 2015 2020 2025 2030 2035 2040 2045 2050 Materials Science, Japan (25.9.2007) 3 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 4 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”
5 What is Materials Stewardship?
• Materials stewardship 1. Take a Systems Perspective – Understanding material flows and life means responsibly cycle benefits providing materials and supervising material flows 2. Build new and strengthen to create maximum existing relationships – Interacting with other players in the societal value and value chain minimum impact on humans and the 3. Optimize the production and environment. application of minerals and metals – Implementing Eco-efficiency
• 4 Key Themes »» 4. Contribute to a robust, accessible base of information to support decision making – Transparent sharing and reporting of data and information
6 Process and Product Stewardship
Return to Environment Disposal Societal demand for minerals and metals
Reuse Use
Remanufacture Exploration PRODUCT PROCESS Design and STEWARDSHIP STEWARDSHIP Manufacture
Mining Recycling Fabrication
Concentration
Smelting and refining
Materials Stewardship 7 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.
8 Maximizing Value through Product Stewardship
• Risk assessment and communication
• Design for environment
• Product policy
• Innovation
• Creating a “Renewable Materials” society
9 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”
10 Ensure Efficiency of Recycling
• Promoting a Renewable Materials Society requires
9 Appropriate metrics
9 Understanding of material flows
9 Determination of material pools – local, regional and global
9 Materials not waste orientated public policy
9 Public private partnerships
9 Design for recycling
11 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
Overall Recycling Efficiency Rate Recycled metals RER= Metals possible to collect (old + new scrap)
12 Material Cycle – Type 2
Alloy loop Recycling retains metal A and B in alloy material loop
Metal A Metal B Primary production Primary production
Metal product fabrication
Manufacture
Use
Collection & Disassembly
Loss (disposal and emissions)
13 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.
14 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.
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