Critical Minerals Supply Chains Key Briefing 2025

• Circularity in mining: Focus on reusing resources rather than relying solely on recycling
• Mindset shift: How to transition from traditional linear models to circular business models
• Geopolitical risks: Increase in operational and reputational risks from political intability, restrictive trade policies, and single-point dependences
• Collaborative efforts: The importance of cross-sector dialogues to de-risk investments and accelerate the energy transition

• Financing challenges: Blended finance models and ESG-linked loans as emerging solutions compared to traditional financing models
• Standards and certifications: How frameworks can ensure ethical practices, environmental stewardship, and accountability
• Transparency and traceability: How technologies such as blockchain and digital twins can enable end-to-end visibility in supply chains, ensuring responsible sourcing and preventing greenwashing

Innovation Forum Action Research is:

• Independent: Innovation Forum is entirely independent with no mandate. We act as an honest broker unafraid to ask the tough questions and facilitate discussion and progress.
  
  
• Practical: With a clear focus on what is practical and realistic for business, this research is designed to drive action and change throughout industries and supply chains.
  
  
• Free to all: The results and outputs will be shared with Innovation Forum’s entire network of key stakeholders across a range of communications channels to ensure maximum impact.

Innovation Forum Action Research is NOT:

• A PR platform: The research will NOT simply promote the work of our supporting partners. It will assess best practice across the industry, but will also highlight key failures, lessons learned and the major knowledge gaps that must be addressed.
• All promise, no delivery: We will NOT promise what we can’t deliver. The issues covered are complex. They won’t be solved in any 12 month period. But we will help deliver progress through in-depth, constructive and practical research into specific issues.
• Just another PDF: This will NOT be just another PDF report that may or may not be read. It will be a continuing annual process of engagement and dialogue. Key findings will be regularly fed into our industry network and wider stakeholder community throughout the year.