Collaboration for Critical Minerals

for permitting approval driven by environmental and social obligations (Canadian Climate Institute, 2025). How key influencers–such as mine owners, planners, investors, decision-makers, regulators, closure planners, rightsholders, and community stakeholders –collaborate to manage these risks early will help determine capital efficiency, project viability, and long-term value.

Australia and Canada’s Joint Declaration of Intent on Critical Minerals Collaboration highlights an important refocus on collaboration between two of the world’s leading producer nations for critical minerals. The declaration recognizes the need for Australia and Canada to strengthen and secure diversified and resilient critical mineral supply chains in support of economic and national security, including the energy transition, clean technology, and advanced manufacturing (Government of Canada, 2025).

One objective from the joint declaration is enhanced coordinated efforts that enable critical mineral producers to address high capital costs while meeting environmental, social, and governance (ESG) driven objectives (Australian Government, 2025). This area of cooperation focuses on developing standards-based markets that account for the unique challenges faced by producer nations in alignment with ESG standards at the mine site and in early-stage processing (Australian Government, 2025).

In our experience, aligning mining operations with objectives that address environmental and social impacts, including post-mining transition objectives, can add to the complexity and is perceived to increase capital costs. In this month’s Conversation on Closure, we explore how the joint declaration builds on Australia’s and Canada’s critical minerals strategies and look at frameworks that help producers navigate rising cost challenges while meeting ESG standards to support the responsible production of critical minerals.

What’s Changed Since Our Last Conversation?

Reflecting on our last Conversation on Closure on the release of Australia’s Critical Minerals Strategy in 2023 and Canada’s in 2022, we looked at how both countries aim to enhance the supply of critical minerals and responsible resource development, and how integrating closure planning into the life of mine planning can strengthen critical mineral projects while meeting ESG standards.

The updated strategies of both countries continue to promote collaboration with existing and new partnerships to further align policies and regulatory approaches, address technical challenges through joint research and development, facilitate trade and reduce barriers, and attract investment opportunities in both countries. These objectives have been emphasized again in the recent joint declaration between Australia and Canada for critical minerals collaboration.

The joint declaration also expresses the need for emerging standards-based markets to consider unique challenges faced by producer nations while maintaining alignment with ESG principles. In our experience as mine planners and closure practitioners, science-backed studies and an integrated approach to mine planning can support producer nations in optimizing project development, operation, and resource management through a tailored site-specific risk profile.

Industry Frameworks for Navigating Responsible Critical Minerals Production

The mining industry has already developed strong frameworks to support responsible mining practices across the project lifecycle. These frameworks provide structured approaches that help operators navigate increasing operational complexities while aligning with ESG standards.

The frameworks below adopt a comprehensive perspective, bringing together technical, environmental, and social considerations to inform decision-making from feasibility and design through to closure and post-closure. Leveraging these international frameworks also inspires opportunities for cross-collaboration between producer nations by enabling research and development, and sharing knowledge and practices to strengthen responsible critical minerals production.

It is important to note that these industry frameworks often overlap in practice. In our experience, projects typically struggle with multiple, varying standards and are uncertain which to follow. This is why Okane advocates for the integration of mine and closure planning as the practical way of navigating industry frameworks rather than aligning to each standard in isolation.

Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative

The Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative (CMSI) aims to meet increasing expectations for responsible mining practices by consolidating the best attributes of four leading industry standards into a single global framework to define clear, responsible practices for all mining companies (CMSI, 2026).

The CMSI framework will reduce overlaps, address gaps, and incorporate improvements where necessary. The framework consists of 24 performance areas covering a wide range of topics on responsible mining. Each performance area has requirements grouped into three levels: Towards Good Practice, Good Practice, and Leading Practice (CMSI, 2026).

Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management

Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM) is a globally recognized standard to promote safe tailings management throughout all phases of the tailings storage facility’s (TSF) lifecycle, including closure and post-closure (Global Tailings Review, 2020).

One principle of the GISTM requires ongoing engagement with the public and relevant stakeholders across the project lifecycle. Meaningful engagement is a fundamental component of human rights due diligence for tailings facilities.

Other key GISTM principles that enable the implementation of responsible mining practices span several topics, including:

Risk management and mitigation (GISTM Principles 2, 3)
- To develop and maintain an integrated knowledge base detailing the social, environmental, local economic, and technical aspects of the TSF to reduce risks and inform decisions throughout the facility lifecycle, including closure.
Design and construction (GISTM Principles 4, 5, 6)
- To develop a TSF design that integrates the knowledge base, including climate and site conditions, the consequence of failure classification, and the feasibility of the facility lifecycle, including closure.
Monitoring and maintenance (GISTM Principles 7, 10)
- To incorporate engineering monitoring systems into the design to validate design assumptions and monitor potential failure modes throughout the life of the structure.

Towards Sustainable Mining

The Mining Association of Canada’s (MAC) Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM) has evolved into a globally recognized sustainability standard enabling mining companies operating in multiple jurisdictions to address and manage economic, environmental, and social risks. TSM was the world’s first responsible mining performance system to mandate site-level assessments for all participating members, including members of mining associations in Australia and Canada (TSM, 2022).

The TSM framework provides a set of protocols and indicators that enable companies to engage with stakeholders in a transparent, credible, and accountable manner (TSM, 2022). These protocols include:

Indigenous and community relationships,
crisis management and communications planning,
safety and health,
preventing child and forced labour,
tailings management,
biodiversity conservation management,
water stewardship, and
climate change.

International Council on Mining and Metals

International Council on Mining and Metals’ (ICMM) Mining Principles set good ESG requirements for members through a comprehensive set of performance expectations, supporting global targets that include United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement on climate change (ICMM, 2026).

ICMM’s Mining Principles include:

Ethical Business,
Decision Making,
Human Rights,
Risk Management,
Health and Safety,
Environmental Performance,
Conservation of Biodiversity,
Responsible Production,
Social Performance, and
Stakeholder Engagement.

Implementing the Mining Principles should be supported by site-level validation, credible assurance, and transparent disclosure (ICMM, 2024). ICMM’s assurance and validation procedure reinforces commitments to transparency and the credibility of reported progress (ICMM, 2024).

Okane’s Approach

Our Roadmap to Closure takes an integrated approach to mine and closure planning, taking into account environmental, social, and governance factors alongside technical and economic planning. Okane helps mining companies understand site-specific risks and opportunities to optimize resource recovery, while minimizing environmental impacts, and enhancing community outcomes. This integrated approach supports critical mineral development that can be both profitable and responsible in a rapidly evolving global landscape.

Our interdisciplinary teams across Canada, the United States of America, Australia, and New Zealand support clients in aligning with international industry frameworks and guidance, in addition to meeting local jurisdictional regulations. We help clients move from simply “framework awareness” to project-level decisions that minimize rework, cost, and long-term liability.

The future of critical minerals will be shaped not only by what is mined, but by how it is mined and the legacy those mines leave. With the support of best practices and globally collaborative partnerships, standards-based markets can become a competitive advantage for responsible producers rather than a barrier to participation.

To explore collaborative opportunities and how a standards-based risk management approach can support your project, connect with our team at info@okaneconsultants.com.

References

Australian Government. (2025). Joint declaration of intent between Canada and Australia on critical minerals cooperation. https://www.industry.gov.au/publications/joint-declaration-intent-between-canada-and-australia-critical-minerals-collaboration

Canadian Climate Institute. (2025). Critical path: Securing Canada’s place in the global critical minerals race. https://climateinstitute.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Critical-path-Canadian-Climate-Institute.pdf

Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative. (2026). Consolidated Mining Standard Initiative. https://miningstandardinitiative.org/

Global Tailings Review. (2020). Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management. https://globaltailingsreview.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/global-industry-standard-on-tailings-management.pdf

Government of Canada. (2025). Joint declaration of intent between Canada and Australia on critical minerals cooperation. https://www.canada.ca/en/natural-resources-canada/news/2025/10/joint-declaration-of-intent-between-canada-and-australia-on-critical-minerals-cooperation.html

International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM). (2024). Mining principles: Performance expectations. ICMM. https://www.icmm.com/website/publications/pdfs/mining-principles/mining-principles.pdf

Towards Sustainable Mining (TSM). (2022). TSM 101: A primer. TSM Initiative. https://tsminitiative.com/assets-images/SPARK-MAC-TSM-PRIMER-2022-ENG.pdf