Editor's letter

China holds 72% of the world's lithium refining capacity and continues to invest in supply chains across Africa, further strengthening its dominance of the global lithium-ion battery market. This is causing concerns for Western electric vehicle manufacturers and governments alike. But is there any chance the rest of the world can reduce its dependence on China's lithium supply? We dive into the market dynamics of lithium in this issue. 

We also look back at 2023 in data, reviewing the key trends that shaped the mining industry, and explore the various ways in which COP28 has accelerated the conversation on coal phase-out.

Digitsation and automation play a key role in mining companies’ sustainability efforts, but what about the carbon footprint of processing the vast amount of data involved? We speak to the developers of the Data Carbon Ladder, a tool that allows companies to calculate the carbon footprint of their digital activities, about how mining companies can efficiently digitise their processes without going overboard with data. 

Read on for all this and more mining industry insights. 

David Sawers, editor