Worldwide 80-100 million people are involved in small-scale mining, another 4 million people in "normal" mining in order to survive and to gain income for their families. Many strategic minerals, such as Coltan, Cobalt, etc., are shipped to Europe from small-scale mining. Materials from legal mining mix with illegal operations and disappear undetected in refineries. Responsible, legal, and fair mining can only emerge if we progress with transformation in this sector. A rethinking of ethical and moral principles. But is that even possible? Yes, it is achievable! When governments, mine owners, small-scale miners and social communities come together and are more interested in long-term profits than in "quick & dirty money". The standards for responsible mining already exist. OECD, IFC, UNFC and others have already developed and framed these standards. Only their practice in the field and the implementation of these standards in the real world remains difficult. Our supply chains often start right in the bush in the hinterland of many developing countries. This is where people want to earn money through honest and fair work. Communities want to profit from the "exploitation" of their natural resources. Governments must be able to participate in the sales & exports and monitor them. Environmental protection and human rights are the highest good and must be introduced and always respected. This can only be achieved through a very lengthy process of training and further education of all those involved. Mining standards help us to monitor and evaluate progresses. Based on a feasibility study in Ni mining in South America, fluorspar mining in Germany and small-scale mining for tantalum in Liberia, we discuss the necessary transformations in the raw materials sector.

The promotion of accessible knowledge and better understanding of raw materials extraction and management is a crucial step towards ensuring sustainable resource management across industries and nations. Intergenerational equity can only be achieved through the inclusion of public stakeholders, including the youth, in decision-making processes and implementation of standards and practices in the industry.

Resource classification tools like CRIRSCO dominated the minerals industry in the past, providing information mainly accessible to geoscientists trained to interpret the assessments and investors. But as the public is an important stakeholder of the global environment, it is important to create an all-inclusive system that can be used by everyone. Thus, standards that cater to investors only do not serve the broader purpose of promoting sustainable resource management. The UNFC classification and UNRM provide easily digestible information that allows non-experts to compare national resources, their implications on the economy, society, and the environment, that, unlike other standards, don’t vary from industry to industry and country to country. However, many questions about the implementation of UNFC are still to be answered. How do we strengthen the UNFC to equitably involve non-experts and future generations from various sectors and industries? And how can a policy implementation, that ensures environmental, social and intergenerational equity be ensured? This proposed talk combines perspectives of industry, government, academia, and NGOs, and provides a rounded discussion on how we demystify, heighten social awareness, and encourage intergenerational action around the UNFC and towards sustainable resource management by and for all.

Sustainable use of mineral resources that we need for energy storage, power generation and the transition to climate neutrality, and which is at the same time more efficient and integrated, can be achieved by orchestrated activities to harmonise and careful manage data on reserves and resources. This makes an opportunity to build on EU level mineral intelligence by developing a capacity building and knowledge centre in support to the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS). UNRMS is represented by the principles and requirements on sustainable resource management, set by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).

On that purpose the Horizon Europe´s Coordination and Support Action acronymed GSEU is establishing the Geological Service for Europe, which will include an EU International Centre of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management (EU ICE SRM). The objective of the EU ICE SRM will be promotion and capacity building on the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) - an international scheme for the classification and management of energy, mineral and raw material resources (UNECE, 2023) that takes into account the degree of confidence, technical feasibility and social-economic-environmental aspects of a project.

The EU ICE SRM will thus support UNRMS by capacity building and promotion of the resources needed to accomplish the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNECE, 2020). It will operate as a network of partners and experts to assist the decision makers and key stakeholders in resource management.

References:

UNECE, 2020: Criteria for ICE-SRM Designation

https://unece.org/fileadmin/DAM/energy/se/pdfs/UNFC/ICE-SRM/20200925_EGRM-11-2020-INF3_ICE.SRM_Criteria___ToR_Final.pdf

UNECE, 2023: What is UNFC? https://unece.org/sites/default/files/2023-02/What-is-UNFC_E.pdf

The current challenges in our society regarding digital, energy, and circular economy transition have made the recycling and recovery of materials from waste streams a hot topic since they have the potential to provide part of the materials required to meet the challenges. Evaluating the sustainability of a project is also crucial, which usually involves a number of requirements for the project. In this regard, the classification of projects is key to the development of secondary raw materials (SRMs) recovery and recycling projects, including their proper management. The United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is a unique tool to assess all types of resources on the same principle notably projects related to the supply of Critical Raw Materials and SRMs from primary and anthropogenic resources. It considers the level of confidence in the quantity of products obtained, their technical feasibility, and their environmental-social-economic viability. Hence, it can be used as a decision-support tool on company, regional, and national levels.

This paper presents a web-based tool developed for the assessment of SRMs to determine, among other things, the maturity level of SRM recovery projects in accordance with the UNFC. The development process of the web-based tool will be discussed, including its design, features, and functionalities. An example is provided to show how the tool can be used to assess different types of secondary raw materials, highlighting its potential benefits for the circular economy.

Fieldwork, sampling and analysis are tasks that most geoscientists enjoy, whether they are aspiring young scientists or experienced field geologists. Some of the activities arouse curious interest others are viewed with scepticism. Yet, what they all have in common is that good communication is part of successful work. Hence, an open and transparent discourse with non-scientists, is of importance as it is for mutual communication among fellow scientists, among and across disciplines.

Natural resources are a valuable asset, so the possibilities, risks, opportunities and challenges associated with projects to explore and use them should be made equally known to all interested parties. The United Nations has developed a tool (UNFC) that can help with communication in order to achieve mutual understanding in the context of resource management.

Furthermore, in its draft legislation on critical raw materials (CRM), the European Commission has proposed to use the UNFC as a mandatory tool in reporting on mineral resources in the EU and in European and national research programmes. EIT Raw Materials - as one of Europes´ largest project promoters - is already encouraged to assess the proposals against the UNFC concept.

Due to the worldwide high demand for CRM, increased exploration activities currently also stepped up in Germany. These projects are at different stages of exploration and development maturity. A unified classification via UNFC could help to support the regional sustainable raw material supply.

This contribution aims to raise awareness of the UNFC concept and improve understanding of its application.