Mining for a Circular Economy in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of South Africa

This policy brief examines the intersection of mining, the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), and the transition to a low-carbon circular economy, using South Africa as a primary case study. It argues that while a low-carbon future requires increased mineral extraction, this must be decoupled from environmental degradation through green industrialisation and technological innovation.

• Transitioning to a low-carbon future will increase the global demand for specific minerals and metals, including copper, lithium, cobalt, platinum, chrome, and manganese, to support renewable energy, robotics, and electric vehicles.
• South Africa is well-positioned to benefit from the 4IR because it mines five of the 16 minerals used in solar panels (iron ore, lead, phosphate rock, silica, and titanium oxide) and possesses substantial chrome and manganese deposits for wind turbines.
• The 4IR offers opportunities to reduce the environmental impact of mining through technologies such as remote sensors on autonomous aerial vehicles for exploration, robotics for hazardous environments, and AI-driven continuous mining that replaces blasting.
• South Africa faces a high risk of stranded assets in its coal industry, as renewable energy costs are declining and the electricity from mega coal plants like Medupi and Kusile is projected to be nearly double the cost of wind and solar power.
• Technological disruption in mining threatens significant job losses; in South Africa, 41% of work activities are susceptible to automation, and 39% of core skills will be different by 2020, necessitating urgent reskilling initiatives.
• The document recommends a 'green industrialisation' strategy for South Africa to transition away from coal dependence, incentivise exploration of low-carbon minerals, and address political and economic barriers to a circular economy through strategic re-skilling.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2019). Mining for a Circular Economy in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of South Africa. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-for-a-circular-economy-in-the-age-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-the-case-of-south-africa/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Mining for a Circular Economy in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of South Africa. 2019. https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-for-a-circular-economy-in-the-age-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-the-case-of-south-africa/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Mining for a Circular Economy in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of South Africa |date=11 June 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-for-a-circular-economy-in-the-age-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-the-case-of-south-africa/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2019mining, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Mining for a Circular Economy in the Age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: The Case of South Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/mining-for-a-circular-economy-in-the-age-of-the-fourth-industrial-revolution-the-case-of-south-africa/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }