Decarbonisation in the Mining of Platinum Group Metals – A CO2 Outlook to 2030

In 2025, the International Platinum Group Metals Association (IPA) published its third industry-wide life cycle assessment (LCA) of global primary and secondary PGM production, based on 2022 data. The critical reviewed study showed an increase in the Global Warming Potential (GWP) of PGM mining compared with the previous study on 2017 production, mainly due to temporary external factors – particularly high CO₂ emissions from South Africa’s coal-based electricity grid. For example, in platinum production, power consumption during mining, beneficiation and smelting together accounts for approximately 57% of total CO₂ emissions (43% in the case of palladium (Pd), as Pd is also mined in high quantities outside South Africa). Thus, shifting fossil electricity use toward renewables offers the greatest potential for decarbonising PGM mining and forms a sound basis for a CO2 scenario analysis. Given South Africa’s dominant contribution to the production volumes reported in the 2022 study, IPA focused its scenario analysis on the decarbonisation potential of South African primary production by 2030. The scenario modelling was based on investment plans by South Africa’s electricity provider, Eskom, to increase the share of renewable energy in the national grid by 2030as well as planned investments by mining companies. Our results indicate that reductions between 35% and 61% in the GWP of global PGM mining are achievable.