Why Western rare earths producers must act on radioactive waste

Western rare earths buildout requires strong performance on the management of radioactive waste, a major sustainability risk in the supply chain, according to Benchmark’s Rare Earths ESG report.

“In Benchmark’s materiality assessment for rare earths mining and refining, we have identified waste and water management as critically important topics as these substances often contain low grade radioactivity,” said Chi Lee, Benchmark analyst.

In processing, one kilogram of rare earths oxide produces close to 1 kilo becquerel uranium-235 equivalent of ionising radiation, according to Benchmark data, mainly from thorium and uranium.

Storage is the only way to prevent radioactive material from entering the environment, where it can pose health risks such as cancer, leukaemia, and birth defects.

“Waste management includes having a tailings management plan and its alignment to Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management (GISTM), which we identify as best practice,” said Lee.

Yet only 17% of operating rare earths miners align with the Global Industry Standard on Tailings Management, according to Benchmark’s new Rare Earths ESG report.

Waste management performance will be vital to scaling Western rare earths supply chains. Not only does it allow greater social licence to operate, it can also confer market advantages.

Struggling to compete on cost, European, North American and Australian players are positioning themselves as more sustainable than their established Chinese rivals.

The importance of waste management to scaling ex-China capacity is highlighted by the case of Australian rare earths producer Lynas, whose Malaysian processing plant at Kuantan has faced pushback around the issue of radioactive waste.

Lynas states that multiple International Atomic Energy Agency reviews have found its plant fully compliant with international standards.

Radioactive disaster shapes Malaysian perceptions

Malaysian public opinion is highly sensitive to the issue of rare earths byproducts due to an environmental disaster caused by the industry.

During the eighties, a Mitishubishi-owned rare earths refinery located in Bukit Merah in the west of the country dumped untreated waste into the environment, sparking one of Asia’s longest-lasting environmental clean up operations.

Perceptions are more favourable in Australia, where Lynas is building its second plant at Kalgoorlie without significant opposition.

Of the fourteen rare earths elements, five hold high value uses in renewable and defence technologies. One is Praseodymium Neodymium (PrNd) oxide, demand for which is expected to grow by 94% between 2024 and 2034, according to Benchmark’s Rare Earth Forecast.

In 2024, 96% of PrNd oxide demand is forecast to come from rare earth permanent magnets (REPMs) found in wind turbines and EV motors. There is no known way to substitute for rare earths in this application without lowering performance.

Benchmark’s new Rare Earths ESG Report provides a comprehensive view assessing the ESG performance of over 30 mining and 30 refining companies globally across 79 metrics.

It enables miners and refiners to benchmark their ESG performance against peers, as well as allowing companies to evaluate their own sustainability performance.

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