IRTC 2023

Are you as practitioner or researcher in the field interested to share your work on critical raw materials and to contribute to the conference program? We welcome you to submit an abstract proposal, that is in line with one of the 8 themes, for a 15-min presentation or for a poster for the main hall exhibition!

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The sessions will be chaired by multidisciplinary teams of experts to facilitate a discussion with the presenters. Before the conference, submitted proposals will be (blindly) selected by the session Chairs. Furthermore, Chairs will select the most novel contributions for publication in a special issue of the journal Mineral Economics.

Timeline

Timeline

August 31, 2022: Opening of abstract registration system

October 11, 2022: Opening of conference registration

October 24, 2022: Abstract submission deadline

November 30, 2022: Information on review results

December 2, 2022: Full programme available

December 15, 2002: End of early-bird registration

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Session descriptions

Session 1 – Criticality : Stakeholder perspectives

Criticality means something different to a local government than to a multinational company, to a company that controls raw material sources than to a company that relies on supply by others, to a nation endowed with large and varied geological deposits than to one without such an endowment. This session explores different perspectives on criticality that arise from the position of the focal actors.

Session 2 – Criticality methods

This session features existing and emerging methods for criticality determination. It explores the usefulness of indicators and the applicability of methodologies to different contexts.

Session 3 – Sourcing and trade

This session explores the distribution of primary and secondary supply, its concentration and issues arising from concentrated supply. Furthermore, trade, trade restrictions and geopolitical issues are tied to global raw material sourcing and key considerations in this session.

Session 4 – ESG and regulation

There is an obligation and increased societal and political pressure to better address environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues along value chains. Negative ESG impacts across materials’ value chains can make them more critical – by increasing supply risks, or as a separate dimension of concern. This session explores ESG issues related to critical raw materials, including but not limited to reputational risks for companies, risk mitigation measures, regulatory measures, and the state and effectiveness of transparency initiatives.

Session 5 – Changing demand

Technological change is a key driver for changing raw material demand, with megatrends such as electric mobility, digitalization and the energy transition expected to drive demand for critical raw materials in the coming decades. This session focuses on scenarios and the (possible) measures by companies and governments to meet this challenge in a responsible and timely manner, as well as competition for the available raw materials, not only between countries or companies in the emerging uses, but also between these and the current users of the critical raw materials.

Session 6 – Design for circularity

Product designers play a key role in determining the current use of raw materials, the longevity of products and the future availability of secondary raw materials. This session highlights current challenges in design as they pertain to the reduced use or substitution of critical raw materials, conflicts between different design dimensions, and best practice examples for reconciling product function and reduced criticality at all scales (company to global) through design for recycling, reuse, remanufacturing, repair, and reduction.

Session 7 – Addressing criticality: Industry case studies

This session features case studies from industries dealing with criticality: by risk screening, substitution efforts, fostering recycling, increasing transparency, transitioning to business models to improve resource sustainment, and/or other mitigation measures to reduce risks throughout the supply chain.

Session 8 – Addressing criticality: Policy case studies

Policy plays a decisive role in incentivizing and supporting supply risk screening and management. How can they help to effectively mitigate risks for vulnerable industries? In this session, we expect international examples and experiences with policies that aim at favorable framework conditions for risk mitigation and resource conservation.