The relevance of trade relations related to critical raw materials among the two regions that constitute the EU-CELAC partnership has encouraged us at the EU-LAC Foundation to accompany, by means of an institutional partnership, the work of a group of researchers involved in the project titled ‘Green Dealings: negotiations around lithium-ion batteries between North America and South and Europe for a just energy transition’’. Throughout 2022 and 2023, and under the coordination of the Geneva Graduate Institute, researchers from universities based in Europe and South America partnered to explore how more sustainable lithium supply chains could be crafted between raw material producing and consuming regions.
With the present policy brief some of the involved researchers have systematised the results of a Delphi study which explores the main challenges to environmental, social and economic sustainability and justice facing lithium mining in salt flats. We would like to thank the authors and entire consortium for this productive cooperation and hope that the insights generated from their research are of high relevance for stakeholders on both sides of the Atlantic.