OECD

• Since its founding in 2015, the platform has attracted over 500,000 users across Europe.
• Authorised by MiFID, the company currently manages over 600 million euros in assets under administration.
• According to a recent survey conducted by AMF in France in collaboration with the European Union through the OECD*, nearly 1 in 4 French individuals report owning investments in financial instruments or crypto-assets.
• An overwhelming 90% of investors believe that maintaining their investments over the long term will yield profitable returns.

• Since a 2020 law ordering the processing of mining commodities into more valuable, marketable products (downstreaming), Indonesia’s nickel production and export have surged sharply.
• However, controversies surrounding Indonesia’s nickel sector are difficult to ignore.
• Additionally, the tumult caused by Indonesia’s nickel export ban, which led to a 2021 lawsuit at the World Trade Organization, and the collapse of nickel prices due to oversupply have been notable.

• As the world’s largest nickel producer and reserve holder, according to data from the United States Geological Survey, downstream processing is seemingly inevitable for Indonesia.
• Here are eight crucial aspects to consider to ensure Indonesia’s nickel sector’s environmental and economic sustainability.

1. Realigning the nickel industry narrative

• For instance, the narrative around nickel downstreaming, heavily promoted by Jokowi, is often linked to Indonesia’s ambition to become a global EV battery producer.
• In reality, 70% of Indonesia’s nickel is absorbed for stainless steel production, a primary material for items from kitchen utensils to skyscrapers and wind turbines.
• According to Adhiguna, the nickel industry’s strong narrative for EV battery development hinders a comprehensive discussion of its economic and environmental sustainability.

2. Incentives for decarbonisation and waste management

• At the upstream level, emissions arise directly and indirectly from mining equipment and the energy needed for processing).
• Hydrometallurgy – the extraction of nickel with chemical solutions mainly used for producing battery raw materials – generates waste that risks polluting water and soil.
• “From the government itself, I believe there must be incentives for emission reduction,” he asserted.

3. Pressures from consumers

• Indonesian nickel consumers can also play a significant role in demanding sustainable mining and processing practices.
• For instance, Indonesian nickel product users could adopt the European Union’s policy requiring bioenergy only from sustainably managed sources free from deforestation.
• According to him, the most feasible demands for sustainable nickel could come from producers and consumers of electric vehicles and their components, such as batteries.

4. Limiting expansion

• Adhiguna believes restricting the industry’s expansion is a viable solution to address environmental impacts, preserve reserves, and rectify the plummeting nickel prices in the market.
• Nickel ore production is affected by the demand for processing facilities and limiting the number of smelters would gradually improve nickel ore prices.

5. Strengthening exploration and nickel reserve data

• The Indonesian Nickel Miners Association (APNI) stated earlier this year that Indonesia’s high-grade nickel ore reserves, mainly used for steel production, would be depleted within six years.
• Although the government has refuted APNI’s statement, it underscores that Indonesia’s nickel is finite.
• Gani also emphasised the importance of reducing environmental impacts starting from the exploration stage of mining.

6. Evaluating export bans, strengthening cooperation

• Given the unclear trajectory towards EV (with nickel batteries), it’s worth considering whether these incentives are sustainable,” he added.
• Gupta also recommended that the government strengthen international nickel supply chain cooperation rather than impose export bans, which do not always benefit Indonesia.
• Almost 90% of Indonesia’s nickel export is shipped to China.

7. Drafting a comprehensive roadmap

• With China currently experiencing an oversupply of electric batteries, Adhiguna reiterated how important it was for Indonesia to have a far-reaching roadmap for its nickel ambition.
• Meanwhile, Gupta believes Indonesia needs to reassess how far investor interest in developing nickel downstreaming extends.
• After all, nickel is widely used in everyday life, from kitchen utensils and electronic equipment to supporting various industrial sectors.

8. Sustainable mining practices

• By integrating the aspects mentioned above, according to Gani, it’s time for sustainable mining practices to serve more than just a slogan, applied with tightened oversight from the government.
• Indonesia could emulate countries that have successfully implemented sustainable practices, such as Canada with its biomass-powered mining energy sources.

Authors: Beth Do, Maria Badillo, Randy Cantz, Jameson Spivack “Neurorights,” a set of proposed rights that specifically protect mental freedom and privacy, have captured the interest of many governments, scholars, and advocates. Nowhere is that more apparent than in Latin America, where several countries are actively seeking to enshrine these rights in law, and some [?]