On 26 April 2021 at 16:00 (CET), the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and the German Environment Agency (UBA) are hosting a webinar on 'OECD Practical Tool on Environmental Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains'.
Sector specific practical guidance on environmental issues is missing so far. In order to support on-going activities of companies to address these challenges and incentivize broader uptake, an OECD Practical Tool on Environmental Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains shall be developed.
This Practical Tool shall describe how the 5-step generic due diligence framework recommended by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) can be applied to environmental risks and impacts in global mineral supply chains with a focus on extraction, processing and refining of mineral raw materials. The Tool is intended to support implementation of the cross-sectoral OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Business Conduct (RBC) and also be supportive for companies that are conducting due diligence according to the OECD Due Diligence Guidance for Responsible Supply Chains of Minerals from Conflict-Affected and High-Risk Areas.
The envisaged Practical Tool shall support companies in their environmental risk assessment and environmental management and will also look at how environment related risks intersect with human rights related risks and adverse impacts and other areas of RBC. By providing approaches and best practice examples, it shall help companies engage with stakeholders and develop effective measures to cease, prevent, mitigate, and in some cases remediate environmental impacts across mineral supply chains.
The Tool shall be developed in a participative multi-stakeholder process at the OECD, starting 2021 and finishing 2022. The process will be kicked-off with a virtual side event at the 2021 OECD Forum on Responsible Mineral Supply Chains hosted by the German Environment Agency (UBA), the Federal Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR) and OECD. It serves to outline the initiative, to learn about perspectives from stakeholders on environmental due diligence issues, to assess gaps and needs and to invite interested parties to contribute to the process.
For more information about the Practical Tool, read the Factsheet: OECD Tool on Environmental Due Diligence in Mineral Supply Chains.
Short oral interventions by:
- Mark van der Wal (IUCN),
- Elisa Tonda (UNEP),
- Leah Butler (Responsible Minerals Initiative),
- Dione Macedo (Brazil, Ministry of Mines and Energy),
- Stephanie Venuti (OECD),
- Gudrun Franken (Germany, BGR),
- Jan Kosmol (Germany, UBA),
followed by an interactive Q&A session with the participants.
Registration open until 22 April 2021.