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The report assesses the current state of critical mineral supply chains across ASEAN Member States, highlighting the region's role as a major producer of nickel, tin, and rare earths. It examines the impact of the energy transition and digital revolution, analyzing value chain stages from exploration to recycling. The study emphasizes the potential for regional integration, particularly in electric vehicle (EV) and battery manufacturing, while cautioning on the need for robust environmental, social, and governance (ESG) standards to attract investment and ensure sustainable development.

The report examines 93 unique plastic pollution reduction measures notified by nearly 70 WTO members. It finds that prohibitions on single-use plastics and import restrictions on plastic waste are the most common tools. The analysis highlights a lack of product diversity in current bans and suggests that WTO members could benefit from enhanced transparency, geographic expansion of successful measures, and the exploration of new thematic areas beyond common single-use items.

The document analyzes India's complex textile value chain, highlighting significant environmental pollution from water-intensive cotton production and toxic dyeing processes. It identifies a fragmented supply chain, high competition, and outdated technology as primary barriers to sustainability, while suggesting that increased stakeholder collaboration, government incentives, and a shift toward 'slow fashion' could drive a sustainable transition.

The report establishes a framework to categorize plastic products into 17 core groups based on their properties, use patterns, and pollution risks. It prioritizes these groups using a risk-based analysis (probability of environmental entry and resulting impact) and further classifies them into Class I (feasible for elimination or significant reduction by 2035) and Class II (requiring safe circulation and management). The findings suggest that while some single-use items and intentionally added microplastics can be eliminated, others—such as medical packaging and fishing gear—require management-focused controls due to technical or socioeconomic constraints.

The document outlines the necessity of a radical reduction in industrial emissions to meet the EU's 2050 climate neutrality goal, arguing that current production-based models must shift toward needs-based models that respect biophysical boundaries. It identifies critical gaps in the European Green Deal's progress on decoupling economic growth from resource use and proposes three primary levers for transition: mobilizing finance through regulatory environments, creating incentives for new business models, and utilizing targeted interventions for demonstration projects.

The document argues that U.S. manufacturing is responsible for a quarter to a third of national greenhouse gas emissions and proposes a suite of policy interventions to transition to clean industry. Key recommendations include trade mechanisms like carbon border adjustments, green public procurement, direct financial support for early-stage technologies, and the implementation of emissions and energy efficiency standards. It emphasizes the need for a combination of R&D support, subsidies for clean production, and improved lending mechanisms to ensure U.S. industry remains competitive against international producers while achieving decarbonization.

The document explains that many critical minerals are not mined independently but are produced as co-products or by-products of 'host' metals. This 'companionality' creates inelastic supply chains where the availability of a critical metal depends on the economic viability of a different host metal. The paper highlights risks including high price volatility, under-reporting of reserves, and the loss of strategic minerals in tailings. It suggests that reprocessing waste dumps and improving regulatory frameworks for companion metals can help bridge the supply gap for the energy transition.

The document explains that many metals critical for the energy transition and digital transformation are not extracted exclusively but as co-products or by-products of 'host' metals. This complementarity creates inelastic supply chains, high price volatility, and risks of material loss in tailings. It suggests that understanding these associations can help governments and companies identify new sources of minerals, such as reprocessing tailings, and improve national industrial strategies.

The document examines the concept of 'metal companionship,' where critical metals are often produced as co-products or by-products of major 'host' metals rather than as primary targets. This dependency creates significant supply inelasticity, price volatility, and risks of material loss in tailings. The author argues that understanding these associations can help identify new sources of metals, such as reprocessing mine waste, and inform national development strategies for producer countries.

The submission by Ecojustice and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) proposes comprehensive amendments to the Competition Act to align it with Canada's net-zero and environmental commitments. The authors argue that current laws fail to address 'greenwashing'—deceptive environmental claims—which distorts the market, penalizes genuinely sustainable businesses, and misleads consumers. Key recommendations include amending the Act's purpose clause to recognize sustainability, legislating specific prohibitions against common forms of greenwashing (such as misleading carbon offset claims and generic 'eco-friendly' labels), and expanding the public's ability to challenge deceptive marketing through the Tribunal without needing to prove specific damages. Additionally, the document suggests establishing a sustainability taskforce within the Competition Bureau, allowing for 'public benefit' considerations in merger assessments, and creating exemptions for competitor collaborations that advance environmental protection.

The UN 2023 Water Conference, held in New York, focused on accelerating progress toward Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) through the Water Action Agenda. The event resulted in approximately 700 voluntary commitments totaling USD 300 billion and the announcement of a UN Special Envoy for Water. Discussions emphasized the water-food-energy nexus, the human right to water and sanitation, and the need for innovative finance and improved global water data. While the conference generated significant political momentum and new partnerships, analysis suggests that many pledges lack quantifiable targets and that the international community must quadruple its efforts to meet 2030 goals.

The document outlines a strategy for India to transition to a green steel economy, identifying five primary technical levers—green hydrogen, renewable electricity, CCUS, scrap usage, and energy efficiency—and six policy objectives to drive the transition through standards, procurement, R&D, and sustainable finance.

The document contends that the 'circular economy' concept has been co-opted by the plastics industry to justify continued production through a reliance on recycling and thermal processing. It argues that plastics are fundamentally linear due to their fossil fuel origins, toxic additives, and material degradation during recycling. The brief advocates for a global agreement that caps plastics production by 2025, eliminates hazardous chemicals, and prioritizes reuse and redesign over waste management.

The report evaluates corporate climate alignment using the CCIF, finding that while mitigation efforts (such as GHG reporting and renewable energy procurement) are common, there is a critical lack of detailed climate adaptation planning. Analysis of 483 debt issuers reveals that no company performed well across all three CCIF objectives, and only 14% have an adaptation and resilience plan. Sector-level data shows utilities as the highest performers in reporting and transition, while healthcare and automotive sectors suffer from significant data gaps. Case studies of companies in China, India, South Korea, and Singapore highlight the use of internal carbon pricing and science-based targets, but emphasize the need for better Scope 3 emissions tracking and quantitative physical risk assessments.

The cement sector is a major industrial emitter, accounting for approximately 7% of global CO2 emissions and 4% of EU emissions. The report argues that the current decade is critical because 30% of EU cement kilns will reach the end of their life by 2030, presenting a window to avoid stranded assets by investing in low-carbon technologies. Key technical levers include reducing the clinker-to-cement ratio, implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS), and substituting fossil fuels with biomass and waste. To support this, the report recommends a comprehensive policy suite: upstream (accelerating renewable energy and CO2 infrastructure), midstream (implementing Carbon Contracts for Difference and phasing out ETS free allowances), and downstream (mandating green public procurement and scaling off-take agreements). It also highlights the role of sustainable finance, noting that while sustainability-linked bonds (SLBs) have been issued, their potential in the cement sector remains under-exploited due to a lack of sector-specific standards.

The document outlines specific demands for the 'REACH 2' reform to address systemic data gaps in the EU chemical market. It argues that the original 'no data, no market' principle failed because registration requirements were too vague and did not cover all substances, such as polymers and low-tonnage chemicals. ClientEarth proposes expanding registration obligations, introducing new reporting duties for downstream users, and increasing transparency for investors and consumers regarding substances of very high concern (SVHCs).

The document outlines the distinctions between 'most harmful substances', 'substances of very high concern', 'substances of concern', and 'hazardous substances' under EU regulations, while providing estimates on the scale of the global and EU chemical markets.

The report argues that Canada cannot reach its 2050 net-zero goals through energy transitions alone, as material extraction and processing account for a significant portion of global emissions. It identifies key opportunities in the steel, cement, plastics, and organic waste sectors, emphasizing that reducing primary demand and extending product lifespans offer greater emission reductions than recycling alone. The document highlights the lack of comprehensive national circularity plans in Canada compared to leaders like Japan and the EU, and recommends implementing digital product passports, carbon pricing, and updated building codes to accelerate the transition.

The report argues that transitioning from a "take, make, waste" economy to a circular one is essential for Canada to meet its climate targets, as energy transitions alone cannot address emissions from resource extraction and material use. It identifies significant emissions-reduction opportunities in the metals, construction, plastics, and food sectors, while noting that Canada is currently at a nascent stage of implementation compared to leaders like Japan and the European Union. The document emphasizes that 'upstream' measures—such as demand suppression, product life extension, and smarter design—offer greater climate benefits than downstream recycling. It highlights critical barriers in Canada, including opaque material flow data, regulatory hurdles for recycled aggregates, and a lack of comprehensive national circularity goals. The report recommends that Canada develop a formal roadmap, integrate circularity into its Nationally Determined Contributions, and utilize tools like carbon pricing and green public procurement to incentivize the shift.

The report evaluates the potential for scaling the CO2 Performance Ladder (CO2PL) in Austria, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The CO2PL serves as both a carbon management system for organizations and a procurement tool that provides certified suppliers with an award advantage in tenders. The study finds a general demand for third-party verified, easy-to-use tools to reduce carbon emissions, though implementation faces challenges such as risk aversion among public procurers, legal concerns regarding the link between criteria and the subject matter of contracts, and capacity constraints in smaller procuring entities. The report recommends aligning the CO2PL with common measurement methods like Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs), engaging with European city networks, and providing specific support for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to ensure inclusive participation.