What needs to come after SUPRIM?An industry perspective

Final SUPRIM ConferenceBrussels, 22nd October 2019

Mark MistrySenior Manager Public Policy

Relevance of resource dissipation

• Considered as important impact category & potential hot spot

• Discussion around ADP showed limitations

• Various approaches leading in some cases to very different results• Important to come up with something meaningful

Environmental Impact Points (UNEP 2011, adapted from Jolliet et al 2003

What do we take with us from SUPRIM?

• Important project especially for industry as it takes properties and characteristics into consideration

• Use versus consumption• Recycling• Emissions• Reserves

• Rather than looking into input streams (i.e. what was extracted) we should look into output flows (i.e. what is dissipated)

• Establishs a very strong link to circular economy as challenge / opportunity for the global society

What do we take with us from the EU & global discussion around resource dissipation

There is a clear need for the mining and metals industry to come up with an own robust and reliable method to assess resource dissipation

Opportunity in view of EU PEF

Program

Opportunity to provide guidance

to LCA practitioners

Linking discussion with

circular economy is of great added

value

Prevent development of models that we

do not like

Industry is supportive for

Life Cycle thinking

5

What are the next steps to be taken by industry after SUPRIM?

Aim: „ensure that practice of LCA globally contributes to Circular Economy by assessing impacts upon accessibility of (primary & secondary) resources“

Deliver on the European Commission´s call to replace the interim ADP recommendation

6

Time is running – we have to act quickly to contribute to ongoing debate

• 18 months with completion by end of 2020• Open dialogue with stakeholders and experts in this area• Multi-stakeholder workshops to faciliate exchange and gather input• Publish peer reviewed paper

7

Input from industry: understanding flows from mining to end use – and beyond

• Involved metals industries have in depth knowledge of material flows through market studies and own research

• Essential to model flows from mining to first use and end use as they build basis for stock modeling and identification of losses

8

Input from industry: detailed data on material flows, losses as essential input

• Modeling of losses to system at various stages of life cycle

• Further work required to distinguish between dissipated flows and flows available for recycling

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Input from industry: detailed data on material flows, losses as essential input

Losses in various stages of the life cycle

- Mining (waste rock)- Beneficiation (tailings)- Smelting (slags)- Fabrication,

manufacturing (slags, waste)

- End use - End of life management

Dissipated or available for recycling?

Scrap UStock

Min

m

R

S

Mfg

W

F

1584

1379

1356

1270

1309

12721234 1804

1750

1575

1568

920

648

648

410

135103

163

23

7

585

23

86

39

6 28

16

7

0

205Ni 2005 (Gg/a) World

© Yale University 2010

14

2005

Unit: kilotons (gigagrams) per year

Sources: Reck et al. (2008), Environ. Sci. Technol.; Reck & Rotter (2011), J. Ind. Ecol.

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Outlook

SUPRIM of great added value as it brought back discussion to the real issue of concern

We are using SUPRIM as basis for future work

Some pending issues and data gaps that need to be filled

Work is underway and is expected to be concluded and published by end of 2020