Critical Materials at the Crossroads of Trade, Security, and Sustainability
The global demand for critical raw materials (CRMs)—such as lithium, cobalt, nickel, rare earths, and copper—is soaring. According to the International Energy Agency, the demand for lithium alone grew by 30% in 2023, with some CRM markets expected to increase thirtyfold by 2040, driven by the acceleration of electric mobility, renewable energy, and digital infrastructure.
These materials are vital to enabling the clean energy transition, supporting green technologies, and securing national industrial strategies. But this growing demand is colliding with a shifting geopolitical landscape and fragmented trade governance.
At the centre of this challenge is commodity trading—the critical mechanism that links producing countries with global markets. Trading systems for minerals and metals are being reshaped by geopolitical competition, export restrictions, shifting alliances, and a patchwork of sustainability regulations. The resulting landscape is increasingly complex and contested.
Governments and industries face a difficult balancing act: how to ensure secure, stable supplies of critical minerals while meeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) goals. For commodity traders—who operate at the intersection of supply, policy, and risk—this balancing act is not theoretical. It is an operational and strategic reality.
Purpose and Goals
This panel will explore how global trade systems for minerals and metals can reconcile supply security with sustainability. It will examine the role of governance, policy reform, transparency and industry collaboration in shaping future global trade frameworks that support a secure supply while attaining high environmental and social standards.
Topics for Discussion
- How can global trade governance frameworks foster a more transparent, predictable trading environment for minerals and metals—one that balances supply security with sustainability performance?
- What is the role of transparency and traceability systems in securing responsible CRM value chains, and how effective are current due diligence practices in addressing environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks?
- From the perspective of commodity traders, what are the most pressing barriers to embedding sustainability into trading practices? How do traders and financial institutions foresee the evolution of commodity markets over the next 5, 10 to 20 years?
- What role can financial mechanisms, risk-sharing tools, and public-private partnerships play in supporting more resilient, sustainable, and transparent mineral supply chains?
As the global clean energy transition accelerates, it is time to ask: Can we build a trade system for minerals and metals that is both secure and sustainable?
About the Panel
This session brings together leaders from commodity trading, policy, and industry to chart practical and cooperative paths forward in a world of rising demand and rising expectations.
Panelists:
Anna Krutikov, Head of Sustainable Development, Glencore
Clovis Freire, Head of the Commodities Branch, Division of International Trade and Commodities, UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)
Colette van der Ven, Founder and Director, TULIP Consulting
Vitor Correia, Secretary General, International Raw Materials Observatory
Moderated by:
Carolyn Deere Birkbeck, Founder and Executive Director, Forum on Trade, Environment & the SDGs (TESS)
Join us at WRF25 for this high-level panel on shaping future trade systems that can deliver secure, stable supplies of critical raw materials—without compromising on sustainability.