Sustainability Language

Circular Economy & Materials

Critical minerals

Minerals essential to clean-energy technologies and modern economies whose supply chains are concentrated and vulnerable to disruption.

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Definition

Critical minerals are minerals and metals assessed as vital to economic or energy security and the clean-energy transition, while facing elevated supply risk. The IEA's analysis shows clean-energy technologies are far more mineral-intensive than their fossil counterparts — an electric car requires about six times the mineral inputs of a conventional car, and an onshore wind plant nine times those of a gas plant — with lithium, nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, copper and rare earths central to demand growth.

References

Overview

What it means

The energy transition shifts dependence from fuels to minerals, moving geopolitical and environmental pressures upstream into mining jurisdictions.

How it is used

Governments publish critical-minerals lists and strategies (e. g. EU Critical Raw Materials Act, US DOE assessments); the term drives recycling policy, supply-chain due diligence and investment in diversified supply.

Why it matters

Mineral supply is a binding constraint on decarbonisation speed; critical minerals link climate policy to mining governance, indigenous rights and circular-economy strategy.

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