Top producing countries of transition minerals Percentage of total global production by mineral, 2024
Bauxite 22% AU 8% IN 76% CD
7% BR
20% CN
28% GN
5% IN 7% ID
Chromium Cobalt Copper Graphite Lithium Manganese Molybdenum Nickel Tin Titanium Zinc
13% KZ
17% TR
44% ZA
9% ID
23% CL
8% CN
14% CD
11% PE
77% CN
5% MG
7% AR
37% AU
20% CL
17% CN
9% ZW
14% AU
23% GA
37% ZA
14% CL
41% CN
6% MX
15% PE
12% US
5% CA
60% ID
9% PH
5% RU
16%I D
10%PE
7% BO
9% BR
23% CN
8% CD
11% MM
6% AU
35% CN
20% Mz
15% ZA
9% AU
33% CN
7% IN
5% MX
10% PE
6% US
Implements the EITI Does not implement the EITI
AR Argentina AU Australia*
CA Canada* CL Chile CN China CD DRC
GA Gabon GN Guinea IN India ID Indonesia
KZ Kazakhstan MG Madagascar MX Mexico MZ Mozambique
MM Myanmar PE Peru PH Phillipines RU Russia
TR Turkey US United States* ZA South Africa ZM Zimbabwe
BO Bolivia BR Brazil
* EITI supporting country
Figure 2 Top producing countries of transition minerals
Source: US Geological Survey (2025)
the EITI Standard and the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Mineral Supply Chains. The EITI Standard, launched in 2003 and updated most recently in 2023, requires participating countries to disclose data on revenues, contracts, ownership, and production in their extractive sectors (EITI, 2023) . Designed as a multi-stakeholder platform, it brings governments, companies, and civil society into dialogue over how extractive resources are governed. EITI has, from the outset, covered oil, gas, and mining, and its reporting requirements on beneficial ownership and contract transparency are directly relevant to critical minerals. By lifting the veil on who owns what, who pays what, and where revenues flow, EITI reduces opportunities for corruption and helps communities hold governments and companies accountable. The OECD Due Diligence Guidance, adopted in 2011 and widely referenced since, offers a complementary tool. It sets out a five- step framework for companies to identify and manage risks of human rights abuses, corruption, and conflict financing in their mineral supply chains (OECD, 2016) . Although originally designed for ‘conflict minerals’ such as tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold, its principles have been increasingly applied to lithium, cobalt, and rare earths. The guidance is practical: it requires
companies to establish strong management systems, identify risks in their supply chains, implement strategies to respond to those risks, conduct third-party audits, and publicly report on their due diligence. Other initiatives add to this governance landscape. The Responsible Minerals Initiative provides tools and audit standards for smelters and refiners; the International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) has articulated sustainability principles and performance expectations for member companies and is part of the emerging Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative, while the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance offers a parallel certification framework; and the European Commission has advanced legislation on critical raw materials, including due diligence and supply security provisions (European Commission, 2023) . Together, these frameworks are creating a patchwork of norms and requirements that shape corporate and government behaviour. Yet gaps remain. Many standards are voluntary, and enforcement is uneven. Traceability technologies, while improving, are not foolproof and can be bypassed by intermediaries. Civil society oversight is vital but often underfunded. And although EITI and OECD Guidance have proven their relevance, their uptake in some of the fastest-growing mineral economies has been partial at best.
www.decarbonisationtechnology.com
63
Powered by FlippingBook