The world’s reliance on raw materials is rising just as the pressure to cut emissions and safeguard ecosystems grows. New research shows the stakes: a Science study found that by-product recovery from U.S. metal mines alone could sharply reduce dependence on imported critical minerals. Globally, the potential is even greater. 

These innovative approaches were highlighted at the World Resources Forum 2025 – “New Strategies for a Sustainable Future”, Geneva, 2-3 September. 

“But unlocking this opportunity requires more than technology. It demands standards, transparency, and systems that keep resources circulating through the economy instead of being lost as waste,” said Tatiana Molcean, Executive Secretary, UNECE, opening the Forum. This is where UNECE is stepping up. 

Tackling Resource Pressure across the Life Cycle 

Mitigating pressure on resources starts at the very beginning of their life cycle. 

• During extraction, processing and refining: UNECE’s United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) and the United Nations Resource Management System (UNRMS) provide tools to classify and manage resources with full social, environmental and economic accountability. They are life cycle frameworks that ensure resource development is transparent, sustainable, and aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals.
• At the stage of primary demand: Digital and artificial intelligence technologies are helping to reduce the need for physical hardware and the resources they consume. From energy efficiency solutions to resource servitization models, digital innovation is becoming a powerful lever to cut material intensity.
• In the demand for secondary resources: UNECE’s UNFC and UNRMS provide the key drivers for integrating secondary resources into national policies and corporate strategies. They are already embedded in the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, in the African AMREC/PARC system, and are being scaled through International Centres of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management. Building on this foundation, UNECE is also advancing transparency and trust through the UN Transparency Protocol, which enable supply chain data to be exchanged across borders in interoperable, verifiable formats. In cooperation with ISO, work on Digital Product Passports further ensures that information on the origin, composition, and sustainability of products is accessible throughout their life cycle. Together, these innovations create the conditions needed to enable circularity at scale. 

Supporting the Global South through Centres of Excellence 

A fair transition also means that all countries, including those in the Global South, can benefit from these tools. 

UNECE is working with partners to establish International Centres of Excellence on Sustainable Resource Management (ICE-SRMs) around the world. These Centres help countries integrate UNFC and UNRMS into national strategies, legislation, and reporting. They provide practical capacity building, foster policy innovation, and enable peer learning. 

“The focus is not just on resource extraction but on value addition, localisation of value chains, and equitable benefit sharing,” said Dario Liguti, Director, Sustainable Energy, UNECE. These are key principles recommended by the UN Secretary-General’s Panel on Critical Energy Transition Minerals, which call for a transition that is not only fast but also fair, ensuring that resource-rich countries retain a greater share of the economic and social benefits of their endowments. 

By strengthening national capacities and connecting them through a global network, ICE-SRMs are helping to democratize access to knowledge and make circularity a shared opportunity. 

Innovation in Action 

The United Kingdom’s ICE-SRM is already showcasing new frontiers in circularity. Its projects target critical raw materials, metals, and even wood, employing innovative approaches to reuse, substitution, and recycling. 

Equally important, the UK Centre is pioneering the concept of data as a resource—treating digital information itself as part of the circular economy. By creating trusted data ecosystems, ICE-SRM UK is demonstrating how digitalization can multiply the impact of material efficiency and circularity. 

These innovations offer a model that can be adapted in other regions, particularly in resource-rich countries where local capacity and investment need to be mobilized. 

From Waste to Opportunity 

Secondary resources are too often treated as waste streams. In reality, they are untapped reserves of value. With the right standards, transparency tools, and enabling institutions, they can become the backbone of resilient supply chains and competitive industries. 

UNECE’s frameworks—UNFC, UNRMS, and the UN Transparency Protocol—provide the common language and infrastructure to make this shift possible. They enable governments to set clear policies, investors to reduce risk, companies to innovate, and communities to share in the benefits. 

The move towards circularity and secondary resources is not optional. It is crucial to achieving climate goals, ensuring resource security, and fostering fairer economies. 

UNECE is committed to supporting its member States and partners worldwide to seize this opportunity. By working together—through standards, centres of excellence, and innovative partnerships—we can transform the way resources are managed and ensure that no one is left behind in the transition. 

The future will not be defined only by an energy transition. It will be determined by a resource transition—a shift from extraction and waste to efficiency, sufficiency, and circularity. Secondary resources are the starting point.