Green Transition Is Driven Through Nordic Cooperation – A Project Focusing on the Circular Economy and Traceability of Minerals and Metals
The Geological Survey of Finland (GTK) is leading a Nordic cooperation project to speed up the green transition and position the Nordic countries at the forefront of sustainable metal and mineral production. The project focuses on the recycling of the minerals and metals required for the change, the surveying of materials and side streams that have already been excavated once, and the development of traceability.
”The resource accounting and classification of the tailings areas of the existing mines provide a view of their raw material potential and the opportunities of the circular economy. This is important from the point of view of the security of supply and sustainability, as is the utilisation of the side streams of new mines,” says Kimmo Tiilikainen, Director General of Geological Survey of Finland.
”Classification helps utilise the materials remaining in the side streams of the mining industry and thus reduces the amount of waste,” says Senior Research Specialist Leonardo Feltrin from GTK.
In addition to systematic classification, the project develops the traceability of metals and minerals, an issue that has been addressed globally for years.
”Developing a reliable and efficient method for metal traceability offers useful information to those involved in the production chain and other stakeholders as well as to national and international decision-makers. With the help of a method called GeoPass, the origin of the material used can be traced at the various stages of the value chain and thus determine its degree of sustainability,” says Senior Researcher Liu Xuan from GTK.
The Nordic Sustainable Minerals project is financed by Nordic Innovation under the Nordic Council of Ministers. The project implements one of the eight initiatives launched by the Nordic ministers of employment and the economy to facilitate the green transition. The project that has now started will continue until June 2024. The project is a continuation of the Nordic Innovation’s report ”The Nordic Supply Potential of Critical Metals and Minerals for a Green Energy Transition” published last autumn.
Further Information
Nordic Sustainable Minerals | GTK
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Kati Kiviniemi
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kati.kiviniemi@gtk.fi
