Sustainable Development Goal 9 relates to Innovation, Industry and Infrastructure. Goal 9 has numerous objectives that are relevant to the private sector:

  • Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being, with a focus on affordable and equitable access for all
  • Promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and, by 2030, significantly raise industry’s share of employment and gross domestic product, in line with national circumstances, and double its share in least developed countries
  • Enhance scientific research, upgrade the technological capabilities of industrial sectors in all countries, in particular developing countries, including, by 2030, encouraging innovation and substantially increasing the number of research and development workers per 1 million people and public and private research and development spending;
  • Facilitate sustainable and resilient infrastructure development in developing countries through enhanced financial, technological and technical support to African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States;
  • Support domestic technology development, research and innovation in developing countries, including by ensuring a conducive policy environment for, inter alia, industrial diversification and value addition to commodities;
  • Significantly increase access to information and communications technology and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet in least developed countries by 2020.

A summary of our three proposed contributions to Goal 9 is provided below:

  • We will work with our host countries to ensure any infrastructure developed by Impossible Metals (such as port and energy generation infrastructure) is developed in consultation with host nations, and to the highest quality of innovation, sustainability, and climate resilience. Further, any infrastructure developed by IM in collaboration with host nations and other partners will be developed in accordance with the National Plan(s) of those host countries, with the objective of contributing to economic development, human well-being, equality and sustainable development, both during and following closure of any projects we are involved in.
  • We are working to apply innovations to the critical metals industry that deliver ground-breaking progress towards sustainable industrialization, making significant contributions to the industrialization of our host nations, particularly any developing nations or small island states with whom we collaborate. We will prioritize the implementation of the technology enabling sustainable industrialization in developing and small island states, in alignment with the National Plans of those nations, and in close collaboration with the host nation governments.
  • We do, and will continue to, share transparently any scientific advancements in relation to sustainable development and sustainable industrialization, including the support of, and collaboration with, host nation educational and research institutions.

As we develop a presence in host nations, and scale up our collaboration efforts, we will develop a clear pathway to the implementation of these goals, including specific time-bound objectives. We anticipate commencing reporting against specific objectives as part of the 2023 annual report.