FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT SPECIAL REPORT

The report examines how voluntary sustainability initiatives (VSIs) in the mining sector address forest risks. It finds that while VSIs are growing in membership and scope, they often lack biome-specific language, fail to address the full mining lifecycle, and suffer from governance gaps and weak market incentives. The analysis of 20 VSIs reveals that about half do not explicitly recognize forest impacts. The report argues that VSIs must move beyond broad sustainability language to integrate specific criteria and collaborate with governments to raise regulatory baselines to effectively protect forests, especially as demand for energy transition minerals increases.

• Mining's impact on forests extends beyond direct tree cover loss to include indirect and cumulative effects, with estimates suggesting mining affects up to one-third of the world's forest ecosystems.
• Direct mining-related deforestation is heavily concentrated in tropical rainforests, which experienced 62% of such loss from 2001–2020 despite accounting for only 29% of global mining land.
• The demand for minerals required for clean energy technologies is projected to double by 2040, and may need to quadruple to meet Paris Agreement goals, increasing the threat to forest ecosystems.
• An assessment of 26 standards and guidance documents from 20 VSIs found that approximately half (12 out of 26) do not explicitly recognize forest impacts.
• Most mining VSIs focus on the operational phase of mining, failing to address the design and development stages where environmental and social impacts are often determined.
• VSIs face significant governance challenges, including a lack of forest, nature, and biodiversity experts on boards and insufficient representation of stakeholders from low- and middle-income countries.
• There is a weak business case for responsible mining practices because buyers show little willingness to pay a premium for certified minerals, leaving companies with little incentive to exceed regulatory minimums.
• The opacity of mineral supply chains and the use of smelters in jurisdictions with limited due diligence allow minerals linked to environmental destruction to be laundered as sustainable products.
• The Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) aims to merge standards from the Copper Mark, ICMM, TSM, and WGC, but critics argue it risks lowering performance expectations for human rights and environmental issues.
• To be effective, VSIs should align with the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the OECD’s 2023 Handbook on Environmental Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains.

APA

Nuñez, P., Gómez, B. R., Levin-Nally, E., Matson, E., & Rynearson, A. (2025). FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT SPECIAL REPORT. Forest Declaration Assessment. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MiningVSIs-2025.pdf

Chicago

Nuñez, Pablo, Blanca Racionero Gómez, Estelle Levin-Nally, Erin Matson, and Anna Rynearson. FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT SPECIAL REPORT. Forest Declaration Assessment, 2025. https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MiningVSIs-2025.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Nuñez |first1=Pablo |last2=Gómez |first2=Blanca Racionero |last3=Levin-Nally |first3=Estelle |last4=Matson |first4=Erin |last5=Rynearson |first5=Anna |title=FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT SPECIAL REPORT |publisher=Forest Declaration Assessment |date=2025 |url=https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MiningVSIs-2025.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{nuez2025forest, author = {Nuñez, Pablo and Gómez, Blanca Racionero and Levin-Nally, Estelle and Matson, Erin and Rynearson, Anna}, title = {{FOREST DECLARATION ASSESSMENT SPECIAL REPORT}}, institution = {Forest Declaration Assessment}, year = {2025}, url = {https://forestdeclaration.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/MiningVSIs-2025.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }