CA Unveils Plan for Standards-Based Critical Minerals

On June 17, at the 2025 G7 Summit in Kananaskis, Canada, G7 Leaders announced the Critical Minerals Action Plan, which tasked relevant Ministers with developing a Roadmap to advance standards-based markets for critical minerals. Leaders committed to transparency, diversification, security, sustainable mining practices, trustworthiness, and reliability as essential principles for resilient critical minerals supply chains.

Context

It is imperative to differentiate fair and market-oriented critical minerals supply chains from those dominated by non-market policies and practices that reduce investment, generate pricing volatility, create dependency, hinder supply chain diversification, stability, and reliability, and undermine our shared economic and security interests.

In this regard, we recognize that success will depend on solving global pricing challenges facing critical minerals projects and overcoming non-market practices. To this end, we will work to secure our critical minerals supply chains from non-market policies and unfair trade practices.

We emphasize the importance of companies considering economic and national security concerns as they make investment decisions when selling critical minerals, mining and processing assets.

We are committed to using the tools at our disposal, which may include procurement, tax codes, financial incentives, investment policies, trade measures, price floors, or other mechanisms to reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on critical minerals supply chains dominated by non-market policies and practices. At the same time, we also recognize the value of sourcing materials and minerals from projects that adhere to international standards and transparency benchmarks.

We will advance discussions on the development of high-standard marketplaces that address non-market practices. Where feasible, we will also progressively increase supply chain traceability, including through the use of interoperable traceability systems. By taking effective actions to address the impacts of non-market policies and practices, and by elevating international standards to build resilient, reliable, responsible, and traceable critical minerals supply chains compliant with our international trade law commitments, we will advance our collective economic and security interests.

Commitments

The G7 commits to the following approach and deliverables to advance the development of standards-based markets for critical minerals.

1. Actions to strengthen supply chain resilience, reliability, traceability, and transparency

Traceability and transparency systems are necessary to demonstrate and verify high-standard production and responsible and reliable supply chains. Traceability is a key tool for the development of measures to level the global playing field and encourage market-oriented investments. To mitigate the potential for fragmentation and inefficiency as a result of the proliferation of traceability initiatives, we underline the importance of interoperable digital infrastructure across initiatives, and implementing systems based on successful existing models with technical neutrality. Both partner countries and international organizations have taken action to enhance the responsibility and transparency of supply chains, including through multilateral fora such as the IEA, OECD, UNECE, as well as through international standardizing bodies and through other initiatives developed by private sector organizations. To ensure a resilient and diverse supply, and in line with domestic legislation, governments may require economic operators to provide information on their dependency.

Accordingly, the G7 calls for the following:

• Strengthening requirements for traceability and transparency within strategic supply chains, including defense.
• The development of a global framework for the interoperability of digital credentials and digital product passport compatibility aligned with the UN Transparency Protocol.
• Improved traceability for critical minerals supply chains for off-exchange trading aligned with practices carried out through mineral and metal commodity exchanges and other platforms.
• As appropriate, and in accordance with domestic laws, provide consideration of sovereign tools to review, on national and economic security grounds, the disposition of critical minerals assets.
• Encouraging private and public sector investment in critical minerals recycling technology.
• Collaborating to ensure management of critical minerals and rare earth scrap that supports supply chain diversification.

In order to achieve these goals, G7 members will advance actions to:

• Assess the performance of Sustainability Metals Premia, engaging with relevant private sector-led initiatives as appropriate such as the LME sustainable metals premium market.
• Publish the results of pilot studies that test and demonstrate the feasibility of data collection requirements, identify gaps in data needs, and provide recommendations for the interoperability of digital credentials between G7 members and partners.
• Propose a plan for the G7 to increase transparency, traceability, resilience and reliability to diversify and reduce dependence on unreliable sourcing throughout specific critical mineral supply chains in consultation with the private sector, including to establish a data governance framework pertaining to digital traceability tools.
• Undertake member-specific initiatives to increase user uptake of traceability tools and systems.

2. Criteria that constitute a minimum threshold for standards-based markets

The G7 recognizes the responsibility of sovereign governments to set, or adhere to, existing minimum standards through legal, financial, and regulatory means, as well as to enforce them. We also recognize the responsibility of producers and consumers to deploy voluntary instruments to enhance their competitiveness in global markets.

There have been many standards-systems developed for the trade of specific minerals and metals, for individual jurisdictions, and value-chains, and the G7 will support efforts to enhance the interoperability and alignment of existing international standards, reduce costs to industry, and increase consumer confidence, and transparency. Our ultimate objective is to encourage adherence to robust standards across global mineral supply chains while promoting coherence, predictability, and efficiency.

Taking into account existing standards regimes, the G7 recognizes the importance of performance-based criteria to define a minimum threshold for critical minerals. Depending on jurisdiction, these may be met through adherence to legal, rather than voluntary, requirements, such as:

• International labour and human rights standards, and local consultation measures.
• Rule-of-law and anti-bribery and corruption measures.
• Protections against negative externalities, including pollution and land degradation.

Building on our shared commitment in the Critical Minerals Action Plan to develop standards-based markets for critical minerals, G7 countries will collaborate with their respective national standards bodies, industry groups, international organizations, resource producing nations, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, unions, and civil society to develop criteria which will serve as a basis for G7 and partner countries to align performance-based criteria for standards-based markets. At a minimum, these criteria will include:

International Labour and Human Rights Standards and Local Consultation

• Compliance with internationally recognized human rights and fundamental principles and rights at work outlined in UN Conventions.
• Commitment to early and meaningful engagement and collaboration with communities, particularly Indigenous communities, inclusive of sub-national guidance and expectations, and recognizing the importance of Free, Prior, and Informed Consent as well as the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
• Safe, fair and ethical conditions in the workplace.
• Implementation of the OECD Due Diligence on Conflict Affected and High-Risk Areas when sourcing from such jurisdictions.

Rule-of-Law, and Anti-Bribery and Corruption Measures

• Transparent, ethical business operations, including in engagement with local, national, and international stakeholders.
• Adherence to the UN Convention Against Corruption and other relevant international standards. Countries should encourage companies, including state-owned enterprises, to develop and adopt adequate internal controls, ethics and compliance programmes or measures for the purpose of preventing and detecting bribery and corruption.
• Procedures and policies (e.g. whistleblowing policy) to prevent bribery and corruption, including reporting and monitoring and control of incidences, and ability to take disciplinary actions.
• Disclosure of key information at the country/project level, in compliance with domestic laws and protection of confidential business information.
• Demonstrated support for the values and principles of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the Voluntary Principles Initiative.

Protections Against Negative Externalities, Including Pollution and Land Degradation

• Processes to identify, assess, document, prepare for, and respond to environmental externalities, risks, and impacts, as well as implementing approaches such as anticipation, avoidance, minimization, compensation, and offsetting to mitigate these.
• Proper tailings management, including analysis and a tailings management policy; site-specific tailings management systems and emergency preparedness measures; and periodic reviews and reporting on tailings management consistent with best available technologies and practices.
• Proper water management, including development and implementation of water management monitoring plans consistent with best available technologies and practices to ensure water quantity and quality is maintained.
• Reclamation and closure plan and financial securities compatible with protection of human health and environment.
• Development of an environmental and social impact assessment and management plan in consultation with local communities, in compliance with relevant legislation.

These criteria apply across the supply chain, and when voluntary standards are used to demonstrate adherence to these criteria, we expect a third-party conformity assessment conducted by accredited bodies following international guidelines and standards. Adherence to the above criteria can also be demonstrated through mutual recognition of other G7 members' processes for standards recognition, providing that they also address the proposed criteria.

3. Securing critical mineral supply chains

The G7 commits to taking action to reduce, and eventually eliminate, our current dependence on critical minerals supply chains dominated by non-market policies and practices. The G7 acknowledges the need for more private and public investments in our mining industries, as well as the need for greater workforce development in this area.

We are committed to using the tools at our disposal, which may include procurement, tax codes, financial incentives, investment policies, trade measures, price floors, or other mechanisms to reduce and eventually eliminate our dependence on critical minerals supply chains dominated by non-market policies and practices.

While each member may take different actions to reinforce the resilience, reliability, diversity and security of supply chains, members may take complementary measures to mitigate the impacts of non-market policies and practices on our collective economic security.

We welcome the endorsement of the Roadmap to Promote Standards-Based Markets for Critical Minerals by Australia and Ukraine.