The Climate-Smart Mining (CSM) Initiative provides advice, analytics, and capacity building to resource-rich developing countries that will support them to decarbonize and reduce the material footprint of critical mineral supply chains required for the clean energy transition, whilst enabling these countries to benefit through sustainable development from increasing demand for such minerals.

CSM achieves this objective by focusing its activities on a framework developed in consultation with key stakeholders in government, industry, and civil society, serving as guidance to help developing countries integrate climate-smart approaches through four pillars: (i) decarbonization, (ii) resilience, (iii) circular economy, and (iv) market opportunities. Likewise, the cross-cutting themes are four: (i) citizen engagement, (ii) gender, (iii) strong governance and adequate regulatory framework, and (iv) innovation.

The CSM Initiative was launched in 2019 as a public-private partnership led by the World Bank and the IFC with the aim of achieving sustainable mineral supply chains, practical solutions for decarbonizing, and improving Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards for mining.