Certification schemes continue to differentiate producers as suppliers of choice in the battery and critical materials supply chain, according to the Future Battery Industries Cooperative Research Centre's (FBICRC) Certification and sustainability assessment for battery materials; review of requirements and data commonalities report.
As a proliferation of schemes with varying scopes, intent and approaches emerge, this report provides an overview and comparison of the various sustainability reporting and disclosure schemes for the mining sector.
While there is no one-size-fits-all certification scheme, Western Australia's well credentialled environmental, social and governance regulatory regime continues to be held in high regard globally.
This is reflected in WA achieving record resources sales of $231 billion and the State's mineral exploration companies leading the nation with a record $2.5 billion invested in 2021-22, representing 64 per cent of the Australian total.
Furthermore, since the middle of the last decade, more than $9 billion of investment to the battery and critical minerals sector has seen WA deliver a range of downstream processing successes.
The State Government, via the Minerals Research Institute of Western Australia, is supporting the FBICRC project on Battery Materials for a Circular Economy: Advancing Certification and Improving Life-Cycle Impacts for Market Advantage.
As stated by Mines and Petroleum Minister Bill Johnston:
"Western Australia offers the growing battery and critical minerals industries strong environmental, social and governance credentials.
"The State's existing environmental, work, health and safety regulatory regimes position companies well to participate in whichever scheme they choose to engage with.
"This project seeks to ensure the battery industry is equipped for a future where battery passports are common and responsible materials supply is a requirement."
As stated by FBICRC Chief Executive Officer Shannon O'Rourke:
"Australia is already a leader in ESG performance but the complex mix of environmental standards and certification schemes that modern miners navigate comes at a cost. The market cannot value ESG without common standards or traceability across the supply chain.
"This report cuts through the complexity and is a step towards developing a common certification language that miners can deliver on, customers can have confidence in, and ultimately pay a premium for."
