Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs and Managing Sustainability Impacts to Ensure Security of Supply: Copper Pilot Study

This document introduces a pilot study by the International Institute for Sustainable Development on China's copper supply chains. It argues that sustainability risks in inbound supply chains—such as environmental degradation and social problems in exporting countries—can threaten China's security of supply and international reputation. The project developed a methodology to assess these risks, testing it via copper and palm oil pilots and stakeholder consultations.

• China's expanding inbound supply chains provide economic benefits like investment, income, and employment to exporting nations, but they also create social and environmental sustainability risks. These negative impacts on biodiversity, air, water, land, and communities can lead to supply chain disruptions for China and damage its international brand, potentially hindering Chinese enterprises' access to talent, markets, resources, and international capital.
• While managing the social and environmental footprint of inbound supply chains is critical due to China's goals of building an "ecological civilization" and addressing resource scarcity, these sustainability risks are generally poorly understood and inadequately managed by most companies operating in China.
• The International Institute for Sustainable Development, with support from the U.K. Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), created a methodology to assess the link between security of supply risks and sustainability in inbound supply chains. This methodology was tested through desk research pilots focusing on palm oil and copper, as well as consultations with academics, NGOs, policy-makers, and business people.

APA

Forstater,, J. P. D. V. P. A. H. D. (2014). Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs and Managing Sustainability Impacts to Ensure Security of Supply: Copper Pilot Study. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/meeting-chinas-global-resource-needs-and-managing-sustainability-impacts-ensure

Chicago

Forstater,, Jason Potts,Jason Dion,Vivek Voora,Jason Potts,Gabriel A. Huppé,Jason Dion,Maya. Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs and Managing Sustainability Impacts to Ensure Security of Supply: Copper Pilot Study. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/meeting-chinas-global-resource-needs-and-managing-sustainability-impacts-ensure.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Forstater, |first1=Jason Potts,Jason Dion,Vivek Voora,Jason Potts,Gabriel A. Huppé,Jason Dion,Maya |title=Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs and Managing Sustainability Impacts to Ensure Security of Supply: Copper Pilot Study |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=17 April 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/meeting-chinas-global-resource-needs-and-managing-sustainability-impacts-ensure |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{forstater2014meeting, author = {Forstater,, Jason Potts,Jason Dion,Vivek Voora,Jason Potts,Gabriel A. Huppé,Jason Dion,Maya}, title = {{Meeting China’s Global Resource Needs and Managing Sustainability Impacts to Ensure Security of Supply: Copper Pilot Study}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/publications/report/meeting-chinas-global-resource-needs-and-managing-sustainability-impacts-ensure}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }