Roundtable: Building Sustainable Critical Material Supply Chains for the Global Energy Transition and Industrial Decarbonization

As demand for critical minerals and rare earth elements surges to meet the needs of the global energy transition, challenges arise relating to the concentration of supply chains and how such resources are sourced, processed, and traded. 

Brazil is a major exporter of iron ore and provider of iron solutions, which are crucial to the decarbonization of the steel industry. The country also possesses significant reserves of critical minerals, vital to the production of clean technologies such as batteries, wind turbines, and electric vehicles. Therefore, Brazil is well-positioned to become a major supplier of the materials needed to boost both the energy transition and the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industries. 

With COP30 on the horizon, Brazil’s presidency has a unique platform to use its diplomatic leadership to facilitate dialogue and international collaboration on raw material supply chains, acting as a bridge between major consumer markets in advanced economies and resource-rich EMDEs. 

This session will explore the current geopolitical risks in critical mineral and low-carbon industry supply chains. It will aim to identify opportunities for all countries to improve security and sustainability in these value chains, and the levers Brazil and others can pull to seize such opportunities.

This invitation-only event is part of London Climate Action Week 2025. To learn more about NRGI’s activities and events during London Climate Action Week, visit our dedicated page.