Driving Change in Aluminum Supply Chains

Metals and minerals such as aluminum, cobalt, copper, lithium, and nickel, essential for advancing renewable energy technologies like electric vehicle (EV) batteries, present a paradox in the transition to clean energy. While these resources enable technology that diminishes fossil fuel dependency, the mining operations required to extract these materials often destroy carbon sinks like old-growth forests and perpetuate abusive labor practices. Moreover, these activities severely impact local communities, who suffer from polluted air, soil, and water near mining and refining sites, with forced labor commonly occurring in related logging operations.

The Swedish Postcode Lottery Foundation and Transparentem are partnering to address deforestation, pollution, and forced labor in a critical mineral supply chain. In collaboration with local communities and civil society, Transparentem will first investigate environmental and labor exploitation and then use findings to engage consumer-facing companies with supply chain ties to engage in worksite and community-level remediation and catalyze industry-wide change.

In this project, Transparentem aims to protect land and increase reforestation efforts, clean up legacy pollution and ensure pollution prevention measures, secure compensation for past harm, and prevent forced labor in operations linked to the mining of critical minerals. 

The project is supported with 5 220 000 SEK.