Raw materials policy
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Our Mission in Raw Materials Policy
We are committed to one Raw material turnaround. By this we mean a globally and socially just and sustainable raw materials policy. We are committed to this with the ecological and social challenges of mining and, increasingly, with the further processing and Trade raw materials apart. Our goal is the protection of human rights and the environment.
The mining and processing of metals and minerals is often associated with significant environmental destruction and human rights violations, such as the displacement of people, conflicts over the use of water and land, the destruction of retention basins or the violent crackdown on critics of raw material mining.
Raw materials are often mined in the global south and in emerging markets. This is where the damage occurs, while most of the products and profits flow to the global north.
Strengthening civil society and its networks
PowerShift has been working on raw materials policy since its inception. We have succeeded in putting the issue of raw materials on the political agenda beyond the industrial discourse on security of supply and in making it campaignable. As coordinator of the AK Raw Materials, a network of environmental and human rights organisations, we are joining forces to make voices of local and international civil society heard at national and international level and to bring about sustainable change. As the AK Rohstoffe network, we are particularly closely involved in Germany's raw materials policy.
At the European level, we are a founding member of the EU Raw Materials Coalition, to represent our positions also in Brussels. Above all, we are working hard to implement the Critical raw material acts.
Analysis and Podcasts
Our detailed analyses and our podcasts shed light on the complex interrelationships of global commodity policy. Our studies are read and taken up by journalists and political experts. Thus, we were each one of the first NGOs to comprehensively meet the need for raw materials for the Energy transition, mobility or Industry 4.0 as well as its social and ecological consequences have been comprehensively analysed and introduced into the debates. We are also committed to ensuring that the Metal consumption in Germany – and we were the first NGO to have this calculated by an environmental institute. In addition, we also have our international colleagues involved in the debate.
Campaigns and political successes
We also participate in successful campaigns, for example for an effective Supply chain law, a sustainable EU battery regulation or a raw material transition. Our successes in political influence show how collective action can bring about change. By working with local and international Partners we are stepping up our efforts to improve raw material extraction practices. Together we can achieve more.
Dialogues and exchanges
On events inform multipliers from NGOs, trade unions, business, parties and the media about the urgency of a raw materials transition and enable them to make a competent commitment to a just raw materials policy.
In the Energy Industry Industry Dialogue, we work together with German energy companies on the deeper supply chain of aluminium components. In close dialogue with civil society and those affected on the ground, we are developing remedial measures for human rights violations in bauxite mining in Guinea. We critically monitor our participation and the effectiveness of the format of the industry dialogues and have published the paper “Five Years of Industry Dialogues - A Civil Society Review” together with all NGOs involved. In addition, we also enter into a critical dialogue with individual companies (e.g. from the automotive and energy industries) as well as with industry associations. In doing so, we learn more about their business practices and can thus point out potential undesirable developments. Our goal is to work towards future legal regulations, close loopholes and promote sustainable changes in the industry through the exchange.
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