June 27, 2024 Ottawa, Ontario Natural Resources Canada
Critical minerals are essential to meeting our climate goals and transitioning to a prosperous net-zero economy. As countries around the world work to secure access to these critical mineral resources, it is equally important that the path to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to net zero is built with a human rights-based approach and a commitment to sustainability.
Today, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, along with Ebba Busch, Sweden's Minister for Energy, Business and Industry and Deputy Prime Minister, announced that Sweden has joined the Sustainable Critical Minerals Alliance (SCMA), comprising of Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States. Under Canada's leadership, the SCMA was created in December 2022 to drive the global uptake of responsible critical minerals supply chains and environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive and responsible mining, processing and recycling practices. The Alliance aligns with the G7 2030 Nature Compact commitment to halt and reverse biodiversity loss by 2030 through a globally wide system change to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) with a focus on sustainable and inclusive development.
The SCMA supports and supplements ongoing efforts in the multilateral sphere and elsewhere to build sustainable and resilient critical mineral supply chains. Members of the Alliance welcome and encourage work domestically and globally toward developing sustainable and inclusive mining practices and sourcing critical minerals that:
- employ a nature-positive approach to industry practices;
- support local and Indigenous communities;
- help fight climate change by reducing pollution and GHG emissions;
- restore ecosystems by establishing clear requirements for the reclamation and remediation of mine sites;
- build a circular economy to accelerate the reuse and recycling of critical minerals; and
- foster ethical corporate practices through sustainability reporting and the implementation of due diligence measures in mineral supply chains.
Members of the Alliance encourage collaboration with Indigenous communities, non-governmental organizations, industry and other non-state actors, as well as actions taken domestically and globally to advance the objectives of the SCMA and call on other nations to join this international partnership.
