Sandvik installation highlights urgency of scaling up sustainable mining practices

More than 90% of an average electric car consists of resources derived from mining. eNimon, or the Nomine car, is stripped from all of these materials. It is completely transparent, lacks all characteristics that make a car a car, and it can't move an inch. Simply put, it shows a future without access to mined metals and minerals.

"Without mining, there are no EVs, no wind turbines, no solar panels," says Mats Eriksson, president at Business Area Mining at Sandvik. "Sustainable mining is the backbone of the green transition and fundamental to achieving global sustainability goals."

The world is facing a critical challenge in its push toward sustainability: current mining output cannot meet the rapidly rising demand for the minerals essential for clean energy technologies. Electric vehicles (EVs), wind turbines, and solar panels all depend on critical materials such as lithium, copper and nickel, yet the supply of these resources is falling dangerously behind demand.

For example:

• An EV requires 6x the mineral inputs of a conventional vehicle.
• An onshore wind plant needs 9x more mineral resources than a gas-fired plant.
• Meeting net-zero goals by 2050 would require up to 5x more production of lithium, nickel, and cobalt compared to today's levels.

Without scaling up sustainable mining practices, material shortages are likely threatening not only climate targets but also global electrification and decarbonization efforts.

Sandvik is addressing this urgent issue by spotlighting the essential role of sustainable mining in creating the technologies that define modern life and drive the electrification of the world. eNimon 'The nomine car' installation, now on display at the National Museum of Science and Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, offers a thought-provoking visualization of what happens if these critical materials are no longer available.

"eNimon symbolizes what's at stake if the world fails to recognize and expand mining's essential contributions to sustainable development. This installation challenges perceptions of mining – not as a dirty, outdated industry, but as a high-tech, innovative and essential enabler of the green technologies shaping our future," Eriksson concludes.