ISTP News

The Swiss Minerals Observatory has released a synthesis report that explores the global impacts of mining for minerals and metals. The research, which was conducted from 2017 to 2022 and incorporates perspectives from natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering, identifies policy implications for reducing the environmental and health effects of the industry.

The Swiss Minerals Observatory has released a new report that explores the global impacts of mining for minerals and metals. The research, which was conducted from 2017 to 2022 and incorporates perspectives from natural sciences, social sciences, and engineering, identifies policy implications for reducing the environmental and health effects of the industry.

Watch this eye-opening video with Antoinette van der Merwe, PhD candidate at the ISTP and NADEL. It deals with artisanal gold mining which on the one hand alleviates poverty, on the other, though, is associated with detrimental health, social and environmental issues.

Can old mobile phones serve as a potential gold mine? ISTP doctoral candidate from the Swiss Minerals Observatory Antoinette van der Merwe and ETH Zurich Prof. Isabel Günther dug deeper into Swiss drawers to find approximately 6.5 million unused phones. In a policy brief, they emphasize that return rates of old devices for recycling remain significantly low despite most people saying they know where to recycle their old phones.

Can blockchain be used to source from responsible artisanal miners on a large scale? ISTP doctoral candidate of the Swiss Minerals Observatory Antoinette van der Merwe, spoke to experts and explains in a policy paper the possibilities and challenges of using blockchain for a more transparent gold supply chain.

Moving towards a greener economy requires detailed information on the environmental impacts of global value chains. ISTP researchers Livia Cabernard and Stephan Pfister present a novel approach to improve the use of an existing input-output database. Their results demonstrate that far more action is needed to move towards a greener economy globally, especially through supply chain management. Their research was published in Science of The Total Environment.

The International Resource Panel (IRP) recently published a compilation of factsheets on Natural Resource Use. The data analysis and the text were prepared by the Swiss Minerals Observatory researchers Livia Cabernard, Stephan Pfister and Prof. Stefanie Hellweg, in collaboration with researchers from the United Nations Environment Programme and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation.

Switzerland is a major trade hub for many commodities, such as coffee, cereals but also metals. Therefore, the Swiss economy is facilitating supply of these goods and links producers with consumers. This NEO Panel in collaboration with ETH's Institute of Science, Technology and Policy (ISTP) will elaborate on the role of Swiss commodity traders in sustainable mining, and their responsibilities.