Sustainability
Sustainability is key to who we are and everything we do.
Deep sea mining of minerals and rare earth elements key to the green shift is our solution to the huge environmental and social costs involved in onshore mining today, while enabling electrification and digitization in a sustainable manner.
Green Minerals address 6 key EU development goals
Providing minerals for the green transition
Fighting child labor while creating sustainable jobs and economic growth
Creating sustainable REE and base metals
Reducing waste generation and enabling companies green transition
Enabling CO2 reduction
Reducing deforestation
Where should metals come from?
The onshore mining industry is mired in a self-reinforcing spiral of ever increasing environmental footprint to extract the marginal tonne of mineral, as ore grades decline, deforestation increases and waste per tonne ore mushrooms. This development can hardly go on much longer. A study by Paulikas et al published earlier this year concluded that offshore mining of nodules would reduce the environmental footprint by more than 90%.
Side-by-side comparison offshore vs onshore mining
(impact of minerals to 1 bn electric cars)
ONSHORE OFFSHORE % CHANGE
CO2 EQUIVALENT EMISSIONS, Gt 1,5 0,4 -70%
ORE USE, Gt 25 6 -75%
DEFORESTATION, km2 66,000 5,200 -92%
SOLID WASTE, Gt 64 0 -100%
FRESHWATER ECOTOXICITY, 1,4-DCB equivalent Gt 21 0,1 -99%
MEGAFAUNA WILDLIFE AT RISK, TRILLION ORGANISMS 47 3 -93%