One aim of the project OekoRess II was to further develop evaluation methods for environmental hazard potentials of mining projects and raw materials developed as part of the predecessor project OekoRess I. The main task of the methodology development was to identify a governance indicator which reflects best a country’s mining sector governance with regard to environmental aspects. The study aims to answer the question whether existing governance indices and indicators are able to adequately reflect the capability of governments, companies and civil society to manage potential environmental hazards and avoid or reduce environmental impacts of mining. For this purpose, 10 case studies on mining sites in different countries worldwide were prepared. The results of these studies were then compared with the results of further 13 case from another predecessor project (UmSoRess). A set of governance indicators was identified that can be used to improve the environmental governance indicator of the evaluation schemes. Eight indicators were tested on the 23 case studies. In result, the Environmental Performance Index (EPI) was recognized as best suited. This report presents the research approach and the consolidated results. All ten case studies and links to related reports are provided below. The detailed assessment results for more than 50 raw materials are available in a separate Environmental Criticality Report. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 81/2020.
The project "Environmental Raw Material Availability" (OekoRess I) developed methods for the assessment of environmental hazard potentials of mining. For this purpose, a mining site-related evaluation model was first developed and tested in an iterative process using 40 case studies. On this basis, a raw material-related evaluation model was derived and applied to five raw materials as examples. Both evaluation models are now available also in English language. In addition, an evaluation system for the environmental hazard potential of mining residues was developed in an accompanying process and conceptual questions of environmental raw material availability and criticality were discussed. Those reports are available only in German language. The raw-material-related evaluation model has been further developed and applied to more than 50 materials in the follow-up project OekoRess II. In another follow-up project, OekoRess III, the site-related evaluation model is further developed and applied to the world’s 100 largest mining sites for copper, iron and bauxite. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 87/2017.
Within the project OekoRess II, more than 50 mineral raw materials were evaluated with regard to the environmental hazard potential of mining using and further refining the methodology developed in the predecessor project OekoRess I. The evaluation system consists of eight indicators on geological, technical and site-related environmental hazard potentials of mining, two supplementary indicators on the magnitude of global energy and material flows and one indicator on environmental governance in the producing countries. These 11 indicators were qualitatively assessed for each raw material on a three-level traffic light scale. Further information, such as the relevance of small-scale mining, complements the raw material profiles. The 8 indicators for environmental hazard potentials were combined into an aggregated environmental hazard potential, which is qualitatively assessed on a five-level scale. This enables the identification of priority raw materials for political, civil-society and private sector measures to increase resource efficiency, close material cycles and perform environmental due diligence in raw material supply chains. It is proposed to designate raw materials as environmentally critical if they are of high importance in terms of their use, e.g. for the transformation of the energy system, and at the same time show a high aggregated environmental hazard potential in terms of the methodology developed and applied here. The Environmental Criticality Report briefly describes the methodology and presents the evaluation results in an overview as well as in comprehensive material profiles. Results are discussed by comparison with the list of critical raw materials for the EU 2017. Finally, recommendations for action for politics, companies and society are described in order to reduce the environmental impacts associated with raw material extraction - through responsible mining practices and responsible raw material supply chains on the one hand and reduced and circular raw material use on the other. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 80/2020.
Schlüsseltechnologien für eine nachhaltige Entwicklung wie Elektromotoren, Generatoren, Photovoltaik, LED-Beleuchtung und Batteriespeicher basieren auf funktionalen Elementen wie schweren Seltenen Erden, Zinn, Silber, Platin und Lithium, die bereits heute als kritische Rohstoffe gelten. Wenn diese Technologien nicht nur in Deutschland sondern auch weltweit ausgebaut werden, wird sich die Nachfrage nach diesen Metallen vervielfachen. Relevante Substitutionsalternativen liegen vor, die den spezifischen und absoluten Bedarf an kritischen Rohstoffen deutlich senken können. Um die Potentiale zu erschließen, wird nun eine Roadmap vorgestellt, um je nach Reifegrad und Zeithorizont der Substitutionsalternativen Anreize für Maßnahmen zur Technologieentwicklung, Markteinführung, Marktdurchdringung durch Qualifizierung und Austausch sowie Anpassung der rechtlich-regulatorische Rahmenbedingungen zu geben. Mithilfe der Roadmap sollen insbesondere konzertierte Ansätze von wichtigen Akteuren des Innovationssystems aus Politik, Forschung, Wirtschaft und Verbänden unterstützt werden. Veröffentlicht in Texte | 03/2019.
Das Projekt ÖkoRess II hat das im Vorgängerprojekt ÖkoRess I entwickelte rohstoffbezogene Bewertungsschema auf eine Vielzahl von mineralischen Rohstoffen angewendet. Insgesamt wurde eine Auswahl von 61 Rohstoffen oder Rohstoffgruppen bewertet. Die Auswahl basiert auf den Rohstoffen, die in der Kritikalitätsbewertung für die Europäische Kommission im Jahr 2014 (Europäische Kommission 2014/2015) untersucht wurden. Sie wurde, soweit möglich, mit den Kandidatenlisten der Neuauflage dieser 2017 veröffentlichten Kritikalitätsbeurteilung (Europäische Kommission 2017) verglichen. Eine weitere Forschungsfrage war die Identifizierung eines Governance-Indikators, der die Governance des Bergbausektors eines Landes in Bezug auf Umweltaspekte am besten widerspiegelt. Acht Indikatoren wurden an 23 Fallstudien getestet. Als Ergebnis, das in einer separaten Studie (ÖkoRess II 2019 b) veröffentlicht wurde, wurde der Environmental Performance Index (EPI) als am besten geeignet anerkannt. Quelle: Forschungsbericht
In diesem Projekt wurde eine Methode zur Bewertung der Umweltgefährdungspotenziale bei der Gewinnung abiotischer Primärrohstoffe entwickelt. Das Projekt und die entwickelte Methode sollen die Rohstoff- und Ressourcenpolitik darin unterstützen, Rohstoffentnahme, Rohstoffversorgung und Rohstoffnutzung umweltverträglicher zu gestalten. Zudem will das Projekt die wissenschaftliche und politische Diskussion um Rohstoffsicherung, Rohstoffverfügbarkeit und Rohstoffkritikalität um Aspek-te der Rohstoffverfügbarkeit aus Umweltsicht ergänzen. Um das zu erreichen, wurde zunächst ein standortbezogenes Bewertungsmodell erarbeitet. Hierzu wurden 40 Fallbeispiele zu Bergbauvorhaben untersucht und in einem iterativen Prozess die Bewertungsmatrix entwickelt und an den Beispielen getestet. Ausgehend von dem dabei entwickelten Ansatz wurde ein rohstoffbezogenes Bewertungsmodell abgeleitet und beispielhaft auf fünf Rohstoffe ange-wandt. Dieses Modell kann dazu verwendet werden, neben den heute schon in Kritikalitätsanalysen berücksichtigten Aspekten des Versorgungsrisikos auch Umweltgefährdungspotenziale des Bergbaus der Vulnerabilität (Verwundbarkeit) des rohstoffnutzenden Systems gegenüber zu stellen. Zusätzlich wurde in einem begleitenden Prozess ein Bewertungssystem für die Umweltgefährdungspotenziale bergbaulicher Reststoffe entwickelt. Quelle: Forschungsbericht
Criticality analysis has established itself as a multifactorial, action-oriented, socio-economic raw materials scarcity assessment method which is subject to continuous development. A raw material is critical when its supply is at risk and a company or economy is vulnerable to supply restrictions of that raw material. The binary labelling of raw materials as either critical or not delivers a strong message. However, each raw material has a characteristic risk profile which may not be described by an aggregated criticality score and a discrete treshold value. A differentiated interpretation allows for a deeper understanding of the raw material supply situation and for the adoption of appropriate measures. Criticality should be understood as a continuum, subjective to the raw material system in question. A harmonised criticality methodology presented in the industrial guideline on resource efficiency (VDI 4800-II) allows for a flexible application of the concept. ÖkoRess, a research project of the German Environment Agency, examines why and how environmental aspects should be included into the criticality concept. A raw material is consequently environmentally critical if it exhibits a high overall environmental hazard potential and is at the same time of great importance for a company or economy. A high environmental hazard potential can indicate a future supply risk. The conclusions to be drawn, however, differ from the conclusions from conventional criticality analysis. Ecological criticality widens the focus to include measures used to foster responsible sourcing and mining practices, which until now have not been discussed in the context of criticality. Quelle: Verlagsinformation
The assessment of the criticality of raw materials allows the identification of the likelihood of a supply disruption of a material and the vulnerability of a system (e.g. a national economy, technology, or company) to this disruption. Inconclusive outcomes of various studies suggest that criticality assessments would benefit from the identification of best practices. To prepare the field for such guidance, this paper aims to clarify the mechanisms that affect methodological choices which influence the results of a study. This is achieved via literature review and round table discussions among international experts. The paper demonstrates that criticality studies are divergent in the system under study, the anticipated risk, the purpose of the study, and material selection. These differences in goal and scope naturally result in different choices regarding indicator selection, the required level of aggregation as well as the subsequent choice of aggregation method, and the need for a threshold value. However, this link is often weak, which suggests a lack of understanding of cause-and-effect mechanisms of indicators and outcomes. Data availability is a key factor that limits the evaluation of criticality. Furthermore, data quality, including both data uncertainty and data representativeness, is rarely addressed in the interpretation and communication of results. Clear guidance in the formulation of goals and scopes of criticality studies, the selection of adequate indicators and aggregation methods, and the interpretation of the outcomes, are important initial steps in improving the quality of criticality assessments. © 2019 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Our societies rely on the quality and availability of natural resources. Driven by population growth, economic development, and innovation, future demand for natural resources is expected to further increase in coming decades. Raw materials will be an important part of societyâ€Ìs future material mix as countries increasingly transition towards resource-efficient and greenhouse-gas neutral economies. Raw materials are also fundamental to meet ecological and socio-economic targets within the UN Sustainable Development Agenda. For instance, they have a fundamental role in renewable energy technologies, new building materials and infrastructure, communication systems, and low-carbon transportation. However, some materials are largely supplied from countries with poor governance. The future availability of these materials and associated impacts are of increasing concern going forward. Recent raw material criticality studies have explored economic, geo-political, and technological factors that affect materialsâ€Ì supply. However, environmental and social pressures also play a role in their security of supply. For instance, conflicts can prevent access to mineral deposits; accidents and environmental damage compromise public acceptance and can hinder future extraction operations. This article will introduce this Special Issue with a focus on material requirements and responsible sourcing of materials for a low-carbon society, and provides an overview of the subsequent research papers.
The project "Environmental Raw Material Availability" (OekoRess I) developed methods for the assessment of environmental hazard potentials of mining. For this purpose, a mining site-related evaluation model was first developed and tested in an iterative process using 40 case studies. On this basis, a raw material-related evaluation model was derived and applied to five raw materials as examples. Both evaluation models are now available also in English language. In addition, an evaluation system for the environmental hazard potential of mining residues was developed in an accompanying process and conceptual questions of environmental raw material availability and criticality were discussed. Those reports are available only in German language.The raw-material-related evaluation model has been further developed and applied to more than 50 materials in the follow-up project OekoRess II. In another follow-up project, OekoRess III, the site-related evaluation model is further developed and applied to the world’s 100 largest mining sites for copper, iron and bauxite.
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