Responsible Sourcing of Sand and Silicates
Why responsible sand and silicates?
Sand and other silicate materials are the world’s most extracted solid raw material that has largely eluded the progress made on responsible sourcing of minerals.
Industrial sands, clays, stones and construction aggregates are essential to a wide variety of end-use products and applications, including transitions towards climate and nature-positive enterprises, economies and societies. At the same time, sand and other silicate mineral extraction has been associated with serious social and environmental challenges.
Excluding these materials from supply chains and production processes is not easy to do precisely because they are so pivotal. Given this dilemma, it is time for a conversation on how silicate mineral sourcing and use practices can become sustainable and responsible.
50 billion tonnes of sand and gravel are thought to be used each year to produce concrete and cement.
United Nations Environment Programme (2019). Sand and Sustainability: Finding New Solutions for Environmental Governance of Global Sand Resources.
An opportunity to progress responsible sourcing of sand and silicates
We are progressing three interrelated objectives:
- Facilitating exchanges between upstream and downstream private sector, civil society, research and policy actors interested in this issue.
- Producing a first phase Baseline Study of environmental and social risks and impacts to consider in sand and silicate sourcing across a wide range of industries and human activities for the OECD.
- Working out what practical next steps on responsible sourcing may look like. We envisage steps that build on and complement existing practices, while supporting implementers to deliberate on what should happen next to progress towards Responsible Sand.
Find out more below about how to join us
Join the dialogue
Companies from different sectors and across the sand and silicate value chains are contributing to exploring this topic with us.
Contact us to learn more about the ongoing dialogue.
OECD Headquarters, Paris, 21 - 24 May 2024
The annual OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains is a key global event. Meetings are held under the Chatham House rule, making them ideal venues for emerging questions. At this years’ Forum we will share interim findings from our baseline study, explore learnings from responsible sourcing of other minerals, and discuss what’s next.
Register at the OECD webpage Sign up for updates
Plenary session (main hall event)
Wednesday 22nd May, 16.45-18.00.
Responsible sand and silicates: implications for due diligence
Sand and silicates, in addition to clay, stones and other aggregates, play a vital role in a diverse range of sectors, spanning electronics, renewable energy and infrastructure. Fuelling our modern societies and economies as well as providing indispensable materials for local development, sand and silicates extraction are reaching extraordinary volumes making them the second most widely consumed natural resource on the globe, after water. The social and environmental impacts associated with the extraction of these materials, alongside supply concerns, have long been overlooked. Building on a year-long dialogue and research project involving companies in the sand and silicate supply chain, civil society organisations and researchers, this session will delve into the key characteristics and dynamics of sand and silicates supply chains, and explore how due diligence can help address key risks and source these materials more responsibly
Partner Session (Room CC15)
Thursday the 23rd of May, 9-10am
Continuing the conversation: Responsible sourcing of sand and silicates
This session will aim to advance the conversation around responsible sourcing of sand and silicates by sharing preliminary findings from our ongoing baseline study into social and environmental risks in sand and silicate supply chains. It will also seek to open a conversation around next steps in working towards responsible sourcing of sand and silicates by drawing on learnings from the responsible sourcing journeys actors in other mineral supply chains have been through.
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Partners
