New Quad framework adds 'teeth' to minerals cooperation efforts

Silverado Policy Accelerator's Vice President for Critical Supply Chains, Mahnaz Khan, was featured in Inside U.S. Trade's coverage of the newly announced Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework and U.S.-India Critical Minerals Framework in an article by Ailia Zehra.

Quad Critical Minerals Initiative Framework

Mahnaz highlighted how the Quad's new framework gives greater "teeth" to critical minerals cooperation efforts. She also emphasized strengthening critical minerals cooperation beyond mining and processing, with particular attention to recycling, innovation, and regulatory cooperation.

Recycling

"The recycling piece was expanded cooperation to streamline the export-import procedures for waste and scrap."

"That means potentially harmonizing the Harmonized System (HS) codes between the partners. That can be a very complicated exercise in trade, but because that provision wasn't there before, that's a very, very positive step."

"Facilitating investments specifically in recycling sometimes gets overlooked, but making it very targeted with our partners helps us not overlook that part of the critical minerals supply chain."

Innovation & Mineral Recovery

"Battery compositions can change, the composition of magnets can change, our end uses can change. We're constantly adapting."

"So if innovation is kickstarted because of the Quad framework, that's another measure of success."

U.S.-India Critical Minerals Framework

Mahnaz also discussed the growing strategic alignment between Washington and New Delhi on critical minerals security and supply chain resilience.

"There's a clear recognition that they are both trying to de-risk from China. This reframes the bilateral cooperation between the U.S. and India in a more strategic light.”

Read the full article on Inside U.S. Trade.