Environmental, Social, and Governance Standards and Practices of Chinese Companies in Critical Minerals Supply Chains

Critical minerals are essential components of the technologies driving the energy and digital transitions. The International Energy Agency (IEA, 2022) projects that to reach the goals of the Paris Agreement, global demand for minerals critical to renewable energy production facilities and associated technologies may quadruple by 2040 compared to 2020. This growth in demand, which is already boosting new mining and mineral processing projects across the globe, will also significantly increase the sector’s environmental and social footprint, particularly in resource-rich countries seeking more added value to raw material extraction by attracting smelting and refining industries.  Thus, there is a commensurate need to strengthen sustainable management practices and promote more responsible corporate behaviour across critical mineral supply chains.  

China maintains a dominant position across critical mineral processing value chains as well as in the manufacturing of key technologies for the energy and digital transition. It is the dominant refiner for 19 of the 20 critical minerals tracked by the IEA and holds an average market share of around 70% (IEA, 2025)—the exception being nickel, for which Indonesia is the world’s leading refiner, in part largely thanks to Chinese investment and technology. Therefore, by strengthening and upholding ESG performance standards, Chinese companies can make significant positive contributions to the overall sustainability of the minerals sector globally.  

In this new study, IISD analyzes management practices of Chinese enterprises in global mineral supply chains from a sustainability perspective. It outlines the Chinese ESG management framework that exists across both government and voluntary standards in China, and examines how these compare to international voluntary sustainability standards. Moreover, using interviews from stakeholders in the Indonesian nickel supply chain as a case study, it provides an overview of the main challenges Chinese companies face in implementing ESG practices, including supply chain due diligence, abroad. Finally, the study highlights key areas and measures that could contribute to enhancing ESG standards among Chinese mining and processing companies operating overseas.  

We invite you to join us in this webinar where we will be presenting the main findings of the report, and have a panel discussion with some key stakeholders to share the perspective from the private sector, industry association, and civil society.  

Speakers

• Qi Zheng, Senior Policy Advisor, IISD & CCICED (moderator)
• Nathalie Bernasconi-Osterwalder, Vice-President, Global Strategies and Managing Director, Europe, IISD
• Grégoire Bellois, Lead, Critical Minerals and Geology, IGF
• Hans Baumgarten, Strategic Advisor, IISD
• Quqing Huang, ESG Strategy and Compliance Leader in the electric vehicle industry
• Jun Ma, Director of the Institute of Public & Environmental Affairs
• Tiantian Li, Director of the International Development Department at CCCMC
• Grita Anindarini, Senior Strategist at Indonesian Center for Environmental Law