Decarbonisation Technology November 2025 Issue

Top countries with transition mineral reserves Percentage of total global reserves by mineral, 2024

Bauxite 12% AU 6% IN 15% AU

9% BR

25% GN

9% ID

6% JM

10% VN

Chromium Cobalt Copper Graphite Lithium Manganese Molybdenum Nickel Tin Titanium Zinc

27% KZ

16% ZA

45% ZW

56% CD

6% ID

10% AU

19% CL

8% CD

5% MX 10% PE

8% RU

26% BR

29% CN

9% MG

9% MZ

5% RU

6% TZ

13% AR

23% AU

31% CL

10% CN

6% US

29% AU

15% BR

16% CN

32% ZA

9% CL

39% CN

12% PE

7% RU

23% US

18% AU

12% BR

41% ID

5% NC 6% RU

14% AU

9% BO

10% BR

23% CN

16% MM

11% RU

10% AU

9% CA

19% CN

5% MG

6% ZA

Implements the EITI Does not implement the EITI

27% AU

19% CN

6% MX

8% PE

12% RU

AR Argentina AU Australia* BR Brazil BO Bolivia

CA Canada* CL Chile CN China CD DRC

GN Guinea IN India ID Ind o nesia JM Jamaica

KZ Kazakhstan MG Madagascar MM Myanmar MX Mexico

MZ Mozambique NC New Caledonia PE Peru RU Russia

TZ Tanzania US United States* VN Vietnam ZA South Africa

ZW Zimbabwe

* EITI supporting country

Figure 3 Top countries with transition mineral reserves

Source: US Geological Survey (2025)

Embedding these frameworks into national law and aligning them with trade and investment regimes is essential to give them more bite. Ultimately, governance frameworks provide a way to move beyond rhetoric. They operationalise transparency and accountability, offering practical pathways for companies and governments alike to reduce risk, build trust, and support a just energy transition. Solutions and innovation Addressing supply risks and embedding stronger governance frameworks are necessary steps, but they must be complemented by practical solutions that ease pressure on supply chains and build resilience. A range of approaches is already emerging that illustrate how risks can be managed in practice. One is diversifying supply, by supporting exploration and new projects across a broader set of producer countries, while ensuring that environmental and social safeguards are respected. International partnerships, such as Japan’s agreements with rare earth producers and the G7 Critical Minerals Action Plan ( G7, 2025 ), show how cooperation can help stabilise access to critical inputs. Another area of focus is sustainable mining practices. Strengthening oversight of waste and tailings, ensuring early and meaningful consultation with affected communities,

and improving water management and environmental assessments are all measures that reduce the risks highlighted earlier and help maintain the social licence to operate (ICMM, 2022) . At the same time, the circular economy offers opportunities to reduce dependence on newly extracted resources. Scaling recycling systems, designing products for disassembly, and tapping into ‘urban mining’ can limit supply pressures. For lithium-ion batteries alone, recycling could meet up to 10% of demand by 2040 (World Bank, 2020) . Innovation in materials and design also plays a role in easing bottlenecks. Research into battery chemistries with reduced cobalt use or magnets with lower rare earth content shows how technological advances can diversify material needs and mitigate risks of over-reliance on single minerals. Finally, traceability and collaboration tools strengthen accountability across supply chains. Digital technologies such as blockchain and chain-of-custody certificates, alongside third-party audits, help ensure greater transparency. At a systemic level, international cooperation, through data sharing, coordination, and multilateral financing, adds resilience. Institutions like the World Bank, OECD, and IEA are already fostering such collaboration, but broader political commitment from major

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