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As the world races toward electrification and digital transformation, copper has emerged as one of the most strategically contested minerals of the 21st century. Yet the global supply chain still lacks a unified, internationally recognised standard for traceability. That is now changing and driven not from traditional centres of global governance but from Riyadh and the African Copperbelt.
The Future Minerals Forum (FMF), convened by Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources, has spearheaded the submission of a groundbreaking proposal to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the world’s first international copper traceability standard. The initiative aims to create a common reference framework for responsibly sourced copper from mined ore to refined metal integrating and complementing existing protocols such as the UN Transparency Protocol and the Copper Mark.
Unlike previous governance models driven primarily by consumer states, the ISO process for this standard is being shaped by voices from the FMF’s “Super Region”, spanning Africa, Western and Central Asia. A central player is the Africa Minerals Strategy Group (AMSG), established at FMF 2024 and now comprising 16 mineral-producing nations. The Copperbelt, stretching across Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, which together supply more than two-thirds of Africa’s copper, sits at the heart of the standard’s development. By embedding FMF’s sustainability pillars of Development, Capacity, Collaboration and Performance, the proposed ISO framework aims to track copper from artisanal and large-scale mines through to smelters and refineries, bringing unprecedented supply chain visibility.
“Producer countries will be able to bring their expertise to develop a framework that reflects their local realities, governance systems and development priorities,” said Mercè Ferrés Hernández, Technical Programme Manager at ISO. This repositioning transforms supplier nations from rule takers forced to comply with external frameworks into rule shapers defining global norms. Crucially, the standard introduces a maturity model, enabling countries and companies to advance progressively through different levels of traceability depending on their capacity. This approach makes the standard both inclusive and developmental especially vital for emerging producers.
“Without Africa’s critical minerals, there can be no energy transition, no digital transformation and no resilient global economy.Through this partnership, we’re setting our own benchmarks rooted in African realities and aligned with global expectations,” said Moses Micheal Engadu, Founding Secretary General of the AMSG. Since its debut in 2022, FMF has grown from a platform for high-level dialogue into a global engine for mineral governance reform. Endorsed by 89 governments and multiple multilateral institutions, FMF’s annual Ministerial Roundtable remains the only venue where supplier and consumer nations jointly craft shared mineral priorities.
This year’s theme: “Dawn of a Global Cause: Minerals for a New Age of Development” captures the shift toward coordinated, cross-regional action. Recent initiatives include a network of Centers of Excellence for mining capacity building in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and South Africa, a partnership with BMO, the world’s largest financier of mining, to catalyse mineral investment and the new copper traceability initiative, one of the first concrete outputs of FMF’s sustainability framework.
“The copper traceability project is a tangible example of FMF’s mission to turn dialogue into outcomes. FMF creates the space for multistakeholder engagement to ensure the right conversations happen at the right time, in the right place, with the right people,” said Ali Al-Mutairi, Executive Director of FMF. Beyond its technical components, the proposed standard represents a rebalancing of influence in the global minerals sector. It signals a shift toward co-creation, aligning with Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, which positions mining as the Kingdom’s third pillar of economic growth and establishes Riyadh as a natural bridge between Africa, Asia and Europe.
For investors and downstream industries, the standard promises greater confidence in supply chain integrity and a clear pathway to meet rising expectations around ESG performance. Now entering ISO’s formal approval phase with ballots closing at the end of February 2026, the copper traceability standard could ultimately serve as a template for other critical minerals, including cobalt and lithium. “From Riyadh to the Copperbelt, FMF is building the architecture of trust for a new minerals era where producing regions shape the standards that will guide global development,” concluded Al-Mutairi.
