What Makes Minerals and Metals “Critical”? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains

The document outlines a methodology for governments to define and assess 'critical' or 'strategic' minerals, emphasizing the need for producing countries to leverage their resources for industrial development. It proposes a four-step process: understanding criticality, taking stock of risks and opportunities, making strategic decisions, and establishing a regular review cycle. The guide provides detailed checklists across geological, economic, social, environmental, geopolitical, and regulatory dimensions to help policymakers identify bottlenecks and strategic assets in the context of the energy and digital transitions.

• There is no universal definition of 'critical' or 'strategic' minerals; advanced economies typically use 'critical' to refer to elements with high supply disruption risks for strategic industries, while producing countries use 'strategic' to denote minerals essential to their domestic economies that provide bargaining power as suppliers.
• Criticality is dynamic and influenced by time and technological evolution; for example, the shift to electric vehicles has increased copper requirements from an average of 25 kg in internal combustion engine cars to 75 kg for electric vehicles.
• A significant portion of critical minerals are not mined as primary targets but as co-products or by-products, with over 60% of those listed by the US, EU, Canada, and Australia falling into this category, making their supply inelastic in the short term.
• Mineral-producing countries often overlook the necessity of criticality assessments, yet these are vital to anticipate the ripple effects of risk-mitigation strategies adopted by destination countries and to leverage the current mineral boom before the window of opportunity closes.
• The guide proposes a four-step approach to criticality assessment: 1) Understanding criticality, 2) Taking stock and risk mapping, 3) Making strategic decisions, and 4) A review process, with a recommendation that assessments be reviewed on average every 3 years.
• Comprehensive stocktaking must include five key dimensions: geological considerations (mapping and reserves), economic/market considerations (production and trade flows), social/environmental considerations (community engagement and biodiversity), geopolitical considerations (partner strategies), and governance/legal issues (regulatory bottlenecks).
• Producing countries can enhance their strategic position by pursuing regional initiatives to achieve economies of scale, such as the 2022 agreement between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo to develop a special economic zone for electric battery manufacturing.
• There is a policy gap regarding the overlap between 'critical' and 'conflict' minerals; for instance, lithium is often associated with tin in Central and Austral Africa, but while tin is regulated as a conflict mineral, lithium is not currently classified as such in those regions.

APA

Ramdoo, I., Bellois, G., & Hendriwardani, M. (2024). What Makes Minerals and Metals “Critical”? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/igf-what-makes-minerals-metals-critical.pdf

Chicago

Ramdoo, Isabelle, Grégoire Bellois, and Murtiani Hendriwardani. What Makes Minerals and Metals “Critical”? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/igf-what-makes-minerals-metals-critical.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Ramdoo |first1=Isabelle |last2=Bellois |first2=Grégoire |last3=Hendriwardani |first3=Murtiani |title=What Makes Minerals and Metals “Critical”? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=May 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/igf-what-makes-minerals-metals-critical.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ramdoo2024what, author = {Ramdoo, Isabelle and Bellois, Grégoire and Hendriwardani, Murtiani}, title = {{What Makes Minerals and Metals “Critical”? A practical guide for governments on building resilient supply chains}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = may, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-05/igf-what-makes-minerals-metals-critical.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }