Sustainably produced mineral resources: A multi-stakeholder process for the development of a certification scheme (NamiRo)
Begin of project: December 1, 2014
End of project: November 30, 2017
Status of project: October 13, 2016
Source: Universität Kassel
Mineral resources and other commodities have in common that they are globally traded according to their material quality, though often in disregard of the circumstances of their production and processing. Mining and processing are associated with numerous environmental aspects. Companies producing with high environmental and social standards have therefore a competitive disadvantage and their achievements are often not honored. Moreover, end-customers are requesting more and more often sustainably produced products, investors are in search of possibilities for sustainable investments and companies take responsibility for the whole supply chain of their products. Thus, customers at different positions of the supply chain start requesting information about the extent to which sustainability is assured during mineral exploitation and processing.
Aim of the research project is to develop a standard or certificate on scheme (DIN SPEC) for mineral resources which is able to foster market transparency in mining and smelting of mineral resources. It documents and evaluates the extraction and processing of mineral resources in terms of their sustainability impact, along the various process steps in the value chain. In particular, the scheme shall meet the requirements of different stakeholders and account for the characteristics of various mineral resources. Systems for report verification, standard setting, and certification and declaration will be analyzed. Possible chances for different stakeholders are considered since a core requirement for such a system is a high acceptance among all stakeholders. Some of the considered criteria are the reliability of the system, the efficiency at process level, practicability, communication at business-to-business and business-to-consumer level, and system costs differentiated according to different stakeholder groups.
More information:
Literature:
Kickler, Karoline, Franken, Gudrun: Sustainability Schemes for Mineral Resources: A Comparative Overview (PDF, 935 KB)
Partner:
- Beak Consultants GmbH
University of Kassel:
- Professor for Corporate Finance
- Professor for Industrial Ecology and Technology Change
- Professor for Sustainability Management
- Professor for Supply Chain Management