PowerShift calls for a sustainable turnaround in raw materials: Fewer primary raw materials, more circular economy, highest standards in mining
Berlin, 13 March: The Berlin-based environmental and human rights organization PowerShift appeals to the new members of the Bundestag to initiate a consistent turnaround in raw materials in the coming legislature. It will focus on five key actions:
- Reducing primary raw material consumption – Germany's raw materials policy must be geared towards conserving resources. The consumption of primary raw materials must be drastically reduced and the use of secondary raw materials, resource efficiency and long-lasting product designs must be consistently promoted. The extraction of raw materials and their further processing are associated with serious human rights violations, child labour and environmental disasters.
- Strengthening the circular economy – An ambitious circular economy conserves resources, reduces environmental pressures and reduces dependencies on geopolitical rivals.
- Enforcing the highest standards in mining – Mining projects, in particular strategic projects, may only be funded if they comply with the highest human rights and environmental standards (e.g. ILO 169). The EU Supply Chain Act (CSDDD) must also not be watered down and must be transposed into German law with the highest standards of human rights, environmental protection and climate protection.
- Promoting fair trade relations – Trade and partnership agreements must be geared to the interests of countries rich in raw materials, strengthen local added value and maintain policy room for manoeuvre. Special rights for companies are abolished.
- Increase transparency and responsibility – Commodity traders must comply with human rights and environmental due diligence obligations, in particular when lending. Government guarantees, such as Unbound Financial Loan Guarantees (UFK), may only be granted to companies that respect the environment and human rights.
PowerShift has sent these demands to the new members of the Bundestag in a recent briefing. As a major importer of raw materials and a source of inspiration at EU level, Germany bears a special responsibility for the sustainable shaping of global trade in raw materials.
“A sustainable raw materials policy must respect planetary boundaries, promote social justice and prevent environmental degradation,” explains Vanessa Fischer, Raw Materials Officer at PowerShift. “CDU/CSU and SPD evade this responsibility and push the problem to future generations. The absence of raw materials policy in the exploratory paper is a fatal signal for climate and resource justice.”
“The new trade agreements proposed in the Union-SPD exploratory paper ignore the challenges of the 21st century”, adds Bettina Müller, Trade Officer at PowerShift. “Agreements, such as the EU-Mercosur Agreement, which limit the scope for economic policy action of countries rich in raw materials and place the profit interests of European corporations above climate, environmental and human rights protection, must not be ratified. Germany must be a counter-model to a Trump-style policy and work for equitable partnerships that promote local value creation and sustainable development.”
You can find the full briefing here:
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact:
- Vanessa Fischer, Resource Policy Officer at PowerShift, +49 (0)30 42085295, vanessa.fischer@power-shift.de
- Adrian Bornmann, Public Relations Officer at PowerShift, 030-27590497, adrian.bornmann@power-shift.de
