"A decade ago, hardly anyone had heard of this obscure mineral, used to manufacture the cell phones and laptops that have become so central to our daily lives. Then, in 2000, reports emerged about mines deep in the Congo jungle where coltan was being extracted in brutal conditions watched over...

Many new and efficient technologies require "critical metals" to function. These metals are often extracted as by-product of another metal, and their future supply is therefore dependent on mining developments of the host metal. Supply of critical metals can also be constrained because of...

This paper considers the health and environmental burdens and impacts of the extraction and refining of selected metals (copper, rare earth elements and cobalt) and how impacts can be reduced through the transition to a circular, low-carbon economy. Performance in the global industry is...