Awareness Alone is not Enough – KSL Kupferschiefer Lausitz Caught Between the Need for Raw Material Security and Reality: “Mining with ESG” within the European Raw Materials Framework
Author: Blas Urioste, KSL Kupferschiefer Lausitz GmbH, Spremberg/Germany
DOI: 10.66356/mrg.2026.04.02.ENAAINE
The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) has highlighted the strategic importance of domestic raw materials projects. At the same time, a tension is evident in specific projects: whilst Europe calls for more resilient supply chains, strategic autonomy and raw materials security, individual projects on the ground are assessed primarily on the basis of environmental compatibility, energy integration, the circular economy, regional value creation and social acceptance.
The Spremberg-Graustein-Schleife copper project by KSL Kupferschiefer Lausitz GmbH, Spremberg/Germany, in Lusatia is a prime example of this new evaluation framework. This article outlines the project, assesses its significance in terms of the raw materials economy and mineral deposits, and demonstrates how Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) requirements are increasingly becoming technical design criteria – ranging from backfilling and water recycling, through dry-stack concepts, to potential regional energy and material cycles. The article is based on the authors’ presentation at the “MiningForum 2026”, held in Berlin/Germany from 18th to 19th June 2026.
