Sustainable sourcing as a priority
LKAB Minerals is active in the industrial minerals industry through our own mining operations and processing and trading of sourced minerals. Sustainability is engrained in us through history and our core values. Furthermore, it is a clear expectation from our owner, the Swedish state.
Sustainable mineral sourcing
As a minerals company, one of the critical areas for LKAB Minerals is the regulation of mineral sourcing. Ensuring we have control over origin, human rights and environmental aspects are priorities.
“We have a rigid system including a Supplier Code of Conduct, risk management system, audit program and joint development plans, where we identified improvement needs. I think the latter is of specific importance. We take responsibility for jointly developing our suppliers’ sustainability and, thereby, our own company. The annual supplier day is all about partnerships and progression”.
Anders Lundgren, Chief Procurement Officer, LKAB Minerals
LKAB and LKAB Minerals source minerals and other products from China; by volume, it is the most significant individual country outside of Sweden and with the most partnerships. The fourth annual Supplier Day was held in Shanghai at the beginning of May, with 32 suppliers attending. Presentations, workshops and sharing of experiences were all parts of the agenda.
During the supplier day, Anders Lundgren also presented LKAB Minerals’ annual supplier recognition to a company that had become a leader in sustainable development.
“Recognition and networking are important parts of forming strong partnerships. We are also grateful for our good support and cooperation with the Swedish Embassy in Beijing. The embassy helped us to progress our sustainable sourcing initiatives further. They did this by lending their expertise and signalling the importance on a political and governmental level,”
– Anders Lundgren.
Mrs Lotta Liljelund, Counsellor and Head of the CSR Center of the Swedish Embassy in Beijing, held a keynote speech. She shared her view on important topics and how to support suppliers on the environmental challenges they are facing.
“Combatting air pollution is a major task for the political leadership. It is not about being either sustainable or profitable. Experience shows that sustainability is indeed a way to strengthen competitiveness. This movement applies to a country as whole and individual companies. Responsible business is good business”.
– Mrs Liljelund.
“We only work with the suppliers that meet our criteria and are showing commitment to developing improvement areas. We cannot reach all our targets and improvement efforts right away. However, we believe that if we put our hands together, we could create a better tomorrow” – Anders Lundgren.
To discover more about LKAB Minerals’ Sustainability programme, explore our Sustainability section. Alternatively, you can contact the Group Sustainability Officer –
