Mighty Earth calls for responsible bauxite mining practices to protect people and the planet

In a startling revelation, Mighty Earth's latest report, "The Impact of the Bauxite Boom on People and the Planet," uncovers the profound environmental and social ramifications of bauxite mining, a critical component in producing aluminium for electric vehicles (EVs). The comprehensive study scrutinises the operations in four major bauxite-producing countries: Indonesia, Brazil, Guinea, and Australia.

The findings highlight a stark contrast between EVs' green promise and the harsh realities of their supply chains.

The first global analysis of the bauxite boom across four continents examines the negative impacts of bauxite mining—the primary ore used to produce aluminium for electric vehicles. The report details the resulting environmental degradation and health issues local and Indigenous communities face. Utilising new satellite data, it highlights significant deforestation caused by bauxite mining in four case study countries.

As the demand for aluminium is set to double by 2050, the report urgently implores the world's largest bauxite producers to adopt responsible mining practices swiftly. It also calls for global electric vehicle manufacturers to ensure their supply chains are free from any contribution to human rights abuses, deforestation, and environmental damage.

Indonesia, Brazil, Australia, and Guinea led global bauxite production in 2023, holding multi-billion tonnes of bauxite reserves. Guinea, in particular, boasts the largest reserves, though this comes with significant environmental costs. A government study predicts that bauxite mining will utilise more than 200,000 acres of farmland and 1.1 million acres of natural habitat over the next two decades. The environmental impact is further highlighted by "red mud," a byproduct generated while processing bauxite that pollutes waterways, with an estimated 10 billion tonnes expected by 2050. This pollution has already caused health issues in West Kalimantan, Indonesia, and the Brazilian Amazon, where bauxite mining runoff contaminates water sources, leading to severe skin conditions and elevated aluminium levels in local communities.

The surging demand for aluminium, fuelled partly by the electric vehicle (EV) industry—which consumes about 25-27 per cent more aluminium than traditional vehicles—is intensifying these environmental and social issues. Indonesia, for instance, plans to produce 600,000 EVs by 2030, a 10,000 per cent increase from early 2023, further driving bauxite mining. This rapid expansion is directly linked to deforestation and pollution, with major global automakers implicated in these adverse effects. Bauxite mining risks species extinction in Western Australia's biodiverse northern Jarrah forests.

The Senior Director of Decarbonisation at Mighty Earth, Matthew Groch, said, “Bauxite production is booming but comes with high environmental and human costs. We need to transition to electric vehicles to tackle climate change and nature loss but there are ways to mine the necessary metals and minerals responsibly and sustainably.  We urge producing countries to commit to IRMA’s mining program and for automakers to get full control of their bauxite and aluminium supply chains, from mine to vehicle. That means making a targeted effort to ensure that the raw materials they are sourcing are not driving deforestation, polluting waterways, and impacting the lives and livelihoods of local and Indigenous communities.”

Mighty Earth is a dynamic global advocacy organisation working to defend a living planet. It calls for the bauxite mining industry and its customers to uphold Indigenous and local communities' Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). This includes respecting the right of these communities to withhold consent for the development of bauxite or aluminium infrastructure. Additionally, mining companies must ensure adequate compensation for any harm experienced by these communities. They also urge all actors across the bauxite supply chain to join the Initiative for Responsible Mining (IRMA) and adopt its standards. IRMA is the only independent third-party program that assesses industrial-scale mine sites for all mined materials, and it is governed equally by the private sector, communities, civil society, and workers.

Mighty Earth also calls on the governments of Australia, Brazil, Guinea, Indonesia, and other bauxite-producing countries to not just enforce but proactively expand existing labour and environmental laws. This will further minimise the negative impacts on local communities. Furthermore, they urge bauxite mining companies and their customers to follow the "mitigation hierarchy" of Avoid, Minimise, Restore, and Offset to manage environmental impacts effectively.

For a comprehensive understanding of sustainable bauxite mining and the industry's initiatives toward a greener future, refer to AL Circle's industry-focused report, "Sustainability in the Global Aluminium Industry".