Mining industry: We can save the world 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions

Martin Ådahl (C), Mattias Jonsson (S) and Jessica Rosencrantz (M) receive Svemin’s updated Climate Roadmap from Svante Axelsson, national coordinator Fossil-free Sweden and Maria Sunér, CEO Svemin.

Sweden is at the beginning of a green industrial revolution. And it’s fast. So fast that the mining industry have now updated our Climate Roadmap.

– With the right political conditions, we can lay the foundation both for the implementation of the Swedish industry’s roadmaps and, through exports, for the whole of Europe’s green transition, says Maria Sunér, CEO Svemin.

Metals and minerals are absolutely necessary to produce the climate technologies needed for the green transformation of society. In Sweden, we can also make it more climate-friendly than in almost any other part of the world. Wind turbines, solar panels, electric cars and batteries, all require metals to a greater degree than in the technologies used today. The green transition is the single most important driving force for increased demand for many metals.

A lot has happened in the Swedish mining and minerals industry since the first climate roadmap was published in 2018. Our member companies have taken further steps to reduce their emissions and prepared roadmaps for strategic sustainability work. In the new Climate Roadmap, which was launched on Tuesday morning, the industry is counting on how great this climate benefit is.

– We estimate that emissions of 6 million tonnes of CO2 per year are avoided today. But the climate benefit can grow far greater: more than 30 million tonnes by 2045, through plans for increased production, more advanced and fossil-free processes, a new generation of mining machines, and further processing, says Sandra Lindström, climate and energy expert at Svemin.

Sweden now has the opportunity to take greater global responsibility for the climate transition by exploiting the potential of the Swedish mining industry. To succeed, action from politics is required, in this updated climate roadmap we have a list of ten clear requirements.

– We address ourselves directly to our governing politicians, only with their support can this become a reality. 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide are at stake, says Sandra Lindström.

At the launch, she was supported by the politicians present, who all showed some self-criticism.

– We in politics are behind the curve, we really have to stick to keep up with the industry’s enormous progress. We must accelerate when it comes to permit processes, when it comes to the fossil-free electricity supply and also the supply of skills, said Martin Ådahl (C).

Mattias Jonsson (S) agreed and added:
– We should be proud of the mining nation we are, but we from politics must also be there and create conditions, he said.

The unity extended across the entire political scale.
– Politics should not stand in the way. Companies are the new environmental movement, saving the climate can be done at work nowadays, Jessica Rosencrantz (M), summed up.

Svemin’s updated climate roadmap is not only the mining and mineral industry’s roadmap, it also lays the foundation for the other 21 industries within Fossil-Free Sweden to succeed with their respective transition. If our industry, as the first link in the value chain, succeeds with the transition, it will provide better conditions for more subsequent industries to produce climate-smart products from our materials.

– Without sustainably produced metals and minerals – no sustainable transition. The green transition begins in the mine, says Maria Sunér.

Note – The updated Climate Roadmap is only available in Swedish at the moment. A translated version is under development and will be presented shortly.

Svemin’s Climate Roadmap 2022 – Political requirements list

1. Create efficient and more predictable permitting processes
2. Secure access to fossil-free electricity and biofuels at a competitive cost
3. Enable hydrogen production and storage
4. Develop a national strategy for capturing and storing carbon dioxide
5. Ensure stability and long-term perspective in national and international climate policy for a competitive transition
6. Support front-runners
7. Create sustainable transport systems for the future
8. Prioritise long-term research funding for sustainable raw materials
9. Invest in recycling and metallurgy
10. Ensure the right skills to enable adjustment

Roadmap for a competitive and fossil-free mining and mineral industry (Svemin’s Climate Roadmap) is part of, and funded by, Swedish Mining Innovation, the strategic innovation program for the Swedish mining and metals mining industry, which is a joint venture by Vinnova, Formas and the Swedish Energy Agency.

Roadmap for a competitive and fossil-free mining and mineral industry

The mining and mineral industry’s third sub-report is a follow-up and supplement to the climate roadmap and subsequent sub-reporting that were launched in 2018 and 2019, respectively. The roadmap is a strategic project within the framework of Fossil-Free Sweden.

The project has been led and implemented by Svemin (project manager and project responsible party). The roadmap is based on two background reports: Material Economics (2021) The climate benefits of the Swedish mining industry and Sweco (2021) Background report climate roadmap for the mining and mineral industry. The report is also based on material previously published by Svemin and the companies’ own facts and figures. Other sources used in the preparation of the report are referred to throughout and are collected in sources.