Priority Actions for the Private Sector: Mining & Mineral Supply Chains

This report provides a framework of priority actions for companies across the mining and mineral value chain to halt and reverse forest loss and degradation by 2030. It categorizes the sector into upstream, midstream, and downstream companies, offering specific guidance on nature-positive practices, traceability, and the protection of Indigenous rights to mitigate operational and reputational risks.

• The mining sector faces significant nature-related risks, with over 90% of the gross value added across mining and mineral supply chains being moderately dependent on nature. Failure to address these impacts can lead to regulatory scrutiny, community conflict, and stranded assets, while nature-positive action could unlock more than USD 430 billion of value by 2030.
• Upstream companies are urged to implement a corporate restricted areas policy and apply the mitigation hierarchy (Avoid, Minimize, Restore, Offset/Compensate) across the entire mine lifecycle. This includes screening projects against spatial data to omit World Heritage Sites and Key Biodiversity Areas from plans before permit applications are submitted.
• The report emphasizes that Free, Prior, and Informed Consent (FPIC) must be a continuous process throughout the project cycle, regardless of whether Indigenous Peoples are formally recognized by their national governments. Companies are encouraged to move beyond consultation to co-designing community benefit-sharing and land use agreements.
• Midstream companies are positioned to influence the value chain by adopting restricted areas policies for sourcing and implementing traceability systems to exclude minerals linked to illegal mining or deforestation. The report notes that traceability gains are most commonly lost at aggregation and blending points.
• Downstream companies should use their market leverage to mandate mine-of-origin traceability for high-risk minerals such as nickel, cobalt, and copper, ideally within two years. They are also encouraged to embed board-level accountability by linking senior-executive compensation to verified progress on biodiversity targets and deforestation-free sourcing.
• Designing for circularity is presented as a way to reduce demand for new extraction and prepare for regulations like the battery passport. This includes designing for easy disassembly, material recovery, and product longevity to avoid planned obsolescence.

APA

Forest Declaration Assessment (2026). Priority Actions for the Private Sector: Mining & Mineral Supply Chains. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2030Vision-MiningMinerals.pdf

Chicago

Forest Declaration Assessment. Priority Actions for the Private Sector: Mining & Mineral Supply Chains. 2026. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2030Vision-MiningMinerals.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Forest Declaration Assessment |title=Priority Actions for the Private Sector: Mining & Mineral Supply Chains |date=June 2026 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2030Vision-MiningMinerals.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forestdeclarationassessment2026priority, author = {{Forest Declaration Assessment}}, title = {{Priority Actions for the Private Sector: Mining \& Mineral Supply Chains}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2026}, month = jun, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2030Vision-MiningMinerals.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }