Everledger and Civic Ledger partnership leads global critical minerals innovation with water accounting
New Battery Passport for Critical Minerals Tracks Water Sustainability
An electronic vehicle battery passport solution is currently being piloted for critical battery minerals ID and traceability for battery lifecycle management. This pilot was made possible by a grant from the Australian Government. Civic Ledger’s product for water accounting and trading on the blockchain, Water Ledger, will play a pivotal role in demonstrating water accounting and compliance to verify the responsible sourcing and discharge of water during the mining phase of Australian critical minerals.
The Blockchain Pilot for Australian Critical Minerals is the world’s first digital blockchain for critical minerals and is a collaboration between Everledger and other significant contributors from Australia, including Civic Ledger, CSIRO, Data61 and world experts. The pilot received AUD$3 million in grant funding from the Australian Government, as part of the Blockchain Pilot Program.
“Critical minerals, and Electronic Vehicle Batteries, will be pivotal to Australia’s zero carbon economy, and reliable accounting information for the water we have and the water we use will be crucial to ensure Australia’s critical minerals are globally competitive,” stated Katrina Donaghy, CEO and Co-Founder of Civic Ledger (pictured above with the Civic Ledger team).
Blockchain technology will be used to create a “digital certificate” for critical minerals throughout the supply chain from extraction to processing and export to global markets. The pilot will help mining companies in the sector adhere to compliance regulations and increase the demand for Australian critical minerals in global markets while also simplifying the regulatory process and lowering costs.
A world leader in the production of key mineral commodities, Australia has a diverse mining industry spanning coal, iron ore, nickel, copper, bauxite, zinc, gold, silver, uranium and rare earths. Water must be sustainably managed at all stages of the mine life cycle including exploration, mining and minerals processing, rehabilitation, closure and post-closure.
Participation in the pilot positions Civic Ledger as the first blockchain company to implement a framework for digital twin water accounting informed by the Water Accounting Framework (WAF) for the mining industry, using Water Ledger, and contributing to Everledger’s national “ethical certification” framework.
“Civic Ledger is proud to offer Water Ledger as part of the Blockchain for Critical Minerals Pilot program, working with Everledger to empower the mining industry to transparently share its water story with confidence, and demonstrate how it is performing sustainable management of finite resources in the global economy,” added Ms Donaghy.
Water Ledger is the world’s first blockchain-based platform for the accounting and trading of water entitlements and allocations. The result is a more open, transparent, and publicly verifiable system to support improved water management and enhance the water trading experience with water rights that are clearly defined, enforceable, and transferable.
Civic Ledger has led the digitisation of water management on blockchain with its Water Ledger pilot in Northern Australia. In partnership with CRCNA, Far North Growers, and Inclusive Growth Partners, the world’s first blockchain-based water market will go live in Far North Queensland mid-2022 with more than 1000 water users being onboarded to the system.
“Water Ledger’s inclusion in the pilot continues to position Australia as a global leader in sustainable water management and innovation across the mining life cycle. Increasing stress on water resources means that mining, in Australia and globally, will continue to rely on effective and sustainable water stewardship, of which Water Ledger will play an essential role,” says Ms Donaghy.
“Most mines in Australia and globally operate in water stressed environments where fresh water is shared with environmental and community needs,” said Ms Donaghy, “making the case for accounting for the water we have and the water we use even more important for the certification of critical minerals.
“Civic Ledger’s participation in the pilot is part of our mission to build the markets of tomorrow so that the natural resources economy can be transparent, fair, interconnected and play a role in ensuring a net positive outcome for people and planet.”
