Building a Sustainable Metals Infrastructure: NIST Report Highlights Key Strategies – National Institute of Standards and Technology (.gov)

Report on Sustainable Metals Processing Infrastructure and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

A report published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), based on a July 2024 workshop, outlines a strategic framework for developing a more sustainable, efficient, and resilient metals processing infrastructure in the United States. This initiative directly supports several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), by promoting a circular economy where metals are used and reused with maximum efficiency.

Key Challenges in Achieving Sustainable Industrialization (SDG 9)

The report identifies critical obstacles that must be overcome to foster sustainable industrial practices and build resilient infrastructure. These challenges impact economic security, industrial competitiveness, and the nation’s ability to meet global sustainability targets.

H3: Supply Chain Vulnerabilities and Critical Materials

The procurement of critical materials, essential for high-tech manufacturing, presents a significant challenge to responsible production patterns as outlined in SDG 12. These materials include:

• Minerals containing lithium and cobalt, vital for batteries, semiconductors, and medical devices.
• Superalloys used in critical defense and aerospace applications.

Limited availability and supply chain fragility necessitate strategies such as supply diversification, material substitution, and enhanced recycling to create a more circular and resilient supply chain, thereby reducing environmental and geopolitical risks.

H3: Standards for a Circular Economy and Responsible Consumption (SDG 12)

A primary barrier to advancing SDG 12.5 (Substantially reduce waste generation) is the lack of robust standards for recycled metal content. The report highlights that improved standards and new certification programs are essential. These measures would make metal separation more efficient, reduce industrial costs, and ensure products with recycled content meet performance requirements, thereby expanding the market for secondary materials and fostering a true circular economy.

Strategic Framework for Advancing the Sustainable Development Goals

The NIST report proposes five core strategies to address these challenges. This framework provides a clear path for industry, academia, and government to collaborate on achieving a sustainable metals infrastructure, directly contributing to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

1. Advance Measurement Science for Sustainable Manufacturing: Develop new measurement techniques, particularly for material separation, to improve recycling efficiency and support the goals of SDG 12.
2. Develop the Technical Basis for Standards: Generate the necessary data to create and improve performance-based standards for metals with high recycled content, a foundational step for building the resilient and sustainable infrastructure envisioned in SDG 9.
3. Enhance Data and Modeling Tools: Create advanced tools to mitigate supply risks and design products for enhanced recyclability, promoting innovation and responsible production.
4. Promote Workforce Development and Education: Establish training programs and partnerships to build a skilled workforce capable of operating a modern, sustainable industrial sector, in line with SDG 8.
5. Convene Stakeholders for Collaborative Innovation: Foster collaborations between manufacturers, researchers, and technology firms to accelerate knowledge-sharing and innovation, embodying the principles of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The article connects sustainable metals processing to strengthening U.S. industrial competitiveness and economic security.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – The core focus of the article is on developing a more efficient, sustainable, and resilient metals processing infrastructure through innovation, new technologies, and improved standards.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – The article extensively discusses the need for more efficient use, reuse, and recycling of metals to reduce waste and manage resources sustainably.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The article emphasizes the importance of collaboration, highlighting the NIST workshop that brought together diverse stakeholders and the strategy to convene stakeholders to foster knowledge-sharing and innovation.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. Target 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.
   • The article’s central theme is to develop a “more efficient, sustainable and resilient U.S. metals processing infrastructure.” It calls for a “new approach in how to source, process, use and recycle metals,” which directly aligns with upgrading industries for sustainability and increased resource-use efficiency.
2. Target 9.5: Enhance scientific research and upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors.
   • The report outlines strategies to “Advance measurement science for sustainable metals manufacturing,” “Enhance data and modeling tools,” and move promising technologies “out of the lab so they can be implemented on an industrial scale,” all of which point to enhancing research and technological capabilities.
3. Target 12.2: Achieve the sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources.
   • The article emphasizes that metals should be “used and reused more efficiently throughout the economy.” It discusses improving recycling methods to enable “greater recirculation of existing materials” like lithium and cobalt, directly addressing the efficient use of natural resources.
4. Target 12.5: Substantially reduce waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse.
   • The focus on improving “reuse and recycling” throughout the article is a direct link to this target. The report identifies the need for “new separation techniques for recycling” and better standards to make recycling more efficient, which are key methods for reducing waste.
5. Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation.
   • The article states that making metals processing more sustainable is “key to promoting U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness while strengthening economic and national security.” This links technological upgrades and innovation in the metals sector directly to economic productivity and security.
6. Target 17.16: Enhance multi-stakeholder partnerships.
   • The article describes a NIST workshop that “brought together a diverse group of experts from industry, academia and the policy world.” One of the five key strategies listed is to “Convene stakeholders to establish collaborations that foster knowledge-sharing and innovation,” which is the essence of this target.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Percentage of recycled content in manufactured goods: The article implies this indicator by highlighting the “lack of robust standards for recycled content” and the need for “new certification programs” to ensure products with recycled content meet performance standards. Measuring the amount of recycled content would be essential for these standards.
• Efficiency of metal separation and recycling processes: The article mentions that “Better standards can make the separation of metals for recycling more efficient.” This implies that measuring the rate and purity of separated materials is a key performance indicator for progress in recycling technology.
• Development and adoption of new sustainable technologies: The article calls for advancing “new separation techniques for recycling” and developing “new modeling and data tools.” An indicator of progress would be the number of new technologies developed and the rate at which they are implemented on an “industrial scale.”
• Number of industry-academia-government partnerships and collaborations: One of the report’s key strategies is to “Convene stakeholders to establish collaborations” and create “partnerships between universities, labs and industry.” The number and effectiveness of these partnerships would be a direct measure of progress.
• Number of workforce development and training programs established: The strategy to “Promote workforce development and education by establishing training programs” suggests that the number of such programs created and the number of people trained would be a relevant indicator.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: nist.gov