29.06.2022 Emissions in the lithium supply chain: Launch of the Climate Mineral Explorer

As part of the World Bank's Climate Action Plan 2021-2025 (External link), the World Bank's Climate Smart Mining (External link) (CSM) Initiative has developed an interactive tool that examines the supply chains of raw materials for the energy and mobility transition. The Climate Mineral Explorer (External link) (CME) provides an overview of greenhouse gas emissions and other environmental, social, and governance (ESG) aspects of the supply chain, from the extraction of raw materials to their consumption. The first version of the CME shows the greenhouse gas, energy, and transportation footprint along the lithium supply chain; further raw material supply chains will be added to the CME in the future. The CME can compare alternative options within the lithium supply chain to find opportunities for emissions reductions. Users can choose their preferences regarding decarbonization targets and countries involved along the supply chain. For example, you can create a supply chain that goes from mining and processing lithium in Chile to battery manufacturing in the US to car manufacturing and consumer market in Germany:

The CME provides stakeholders along the supply chain of lithium with a tangible basis for creating more sustainable mineral supply chains for the energy and mobility transition. The CME can be used to test different energy supply scenarios. For example, it can be examined how different scenarios of energy supply affect emissions at different stages of the supply chain. In addition, the CME can be utilized to look at policies and instruments that governments have implemented to reduce emissions along the lithium supply chain or to accelerate the use of electric vehicles.

Tim Schlösser was invited to speak on the expert panel at the launch event of the CME. The discussion was moderated by Susana Moreira, Climate-Smart Mining lead at the World Bank. The other experts were Anand Sheth, founding chairman of the International Lithium Association (ILiA), and Daniel Cios, policy officer at DG GROW of the European Commission. Tim Schlösser emphasized the importance of raising awareness among stakeholders and policymakers. He also stressed the importance of taking into account the needs of all stakeholders, such as governments, industry, and civil society, in creating responsible supply chains. The tool is an effective way to identify and prioritise areas for action and offers a vivid visualisation for users that raises more awareness. German development cooperation can provide support to partner countries in designing responsible policies and frameworks. The panellists agreed that sustainable supply chains need to be built on trusting partnerships and can only work through cooperation between producers and buyers at eye level.

Germany’s “Extractives for Development” sector programme has supported CSM since its beginning and advocates for climate-sensitive mining. Learn more about X4D and CSM's cooperation here (External link).