We are building practical frameworks for responsible sourcing and production of sand and silicates. Defining better practices, testing solutions in real supply chains and creating the tools that turn commitment into action.
Sand and silicates are the most extracted solid materials on Earth and the foundation of modern life. Each year, tens of billions of tonnes are used worldwide to build homes, infrastructure, electronics and energy systems. Aggregates, clays, industrial sands, natural stone and high-purity silica and quartz are often treated as freely abundant and low risk. These assumptions no longer hold.
When materials are taken for granted, questions of origin, management and accountability fade. The consequences show up as human-rights and environmental harm, and as growing pressure on secure supply. Responsible governance and business conduct are now expected, yet responsibility for sand and silicates remains weakly defined. That leaves room to lead, and the means to do it is what the Coalition is building.
The Coalition is a cross-sector platform focused on three actions. We are not a standards body. We are the dedicated knowledge and practice platform for this material family, built to work with the people who source, produce, regulate and depend on these materials every day.
Shaping clear norms and guidance, practical tools and shared red lines and green flags. Grounded in the OECD Due Diligence Guidance and the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises, and extending into positive contributions that go beyond risk avoidance.
Building the evidence base, testing due diligence approaches in real supply chains and making data and insights actionable so learning travels beyond individual pilots.
Working with standards bodies as a connector, critical friend and resource. Helping them bring sand and silicates into their frameworks so that responsible action is recognised.
Supply chain responsibility practice is shaped by the OECD's Responsible Business Conduct work and its Due Diligence Guidance. That work is only beginning to treat sand and silicates as a field of application.
The Coalition's knowledge base rests on years of foundational work by its Members and Secretariat staff. Coalition Members contributed to UNEP's work on sand and sustainability, establishing the case for global sand governance. Two recent studies led by The University of Queensland then set out the case for responsible sourcing of these materials.
An OECD study on due diligence for sand and silicates supply chains, published in 2026, confirms these materials belong on international responsible-minerals agendas. A second study, commissioned by GIZ and due for publication, examines raw materials in semiconductor supply chains. It situates sand within wider debates on supply security and industrial policy.
The Coalition's mark was developed during our incubation at The University of Queensland, in the Coalition's formation period. The castle motif was adapted from a royalty-free icon by erix subyarko via the Noun Project. Abdulrazak Y. contributed the logo refinement and the layout incorporating our name, and the final lockup was completed in-house.
The Coalition for Responsible Sand and Silicates is a not-for-profit, public company limited by guarantee, incorporated in Australia. The Board took up its work in July 2026. The Directors are Daniel Holm, Anne Pleash and Kai Eberspaecher. The Constitution was adopted on incorporation as a starting framework. Members will review it at the first Annual General Meeting, scheduled for November 2026.
Holds fiduciary responsibility for the Coalition and is ultimately responsible for managing it. Directors are nominated and elected by Members, serve three year terms and are not remunerated.
Advises the Directors on strategic direction, the annual programme of work and the budget, and recommends the membership criteria and the annual fee. Every Founder Member and Founder Supporter appoints a participant, and decisions are reached by consensus wherever possible.
Runs the Coalition day to day, coordinating Members, partners and the programme of work. It prepares the deliverables the Advisory Council reviews and the Board decides on.
The Coalition for Responsible Sand and Silicates was incubated at The University of Queensland's Sustainable Minerals Institute, through the Global Centre for Mineral Security. The Centre created the conditions for collaboration across industry, civil society and research groups. The development and spin-out were funded by The University of Queensland through its Resourcing Decarbonisation and Trailblazer initiatives. Inter IKEA, Roca Group and MCS Group also funded the work, and we are grateful to each of them.
The Secretariat's role is to serve the Coalition's Members: coordinating partnerships, managing operations and ensuring the work gets done. As a small team, we share responsibility across strategy, delivery and relationship-building.
Louise leads knowledge co-production, partnership development and strategic engagement. Her research and network-building established the foundations for the Coalition's work.
Daniel leads organisational design and governance. He brings expertise in responsible minerals sourcing and social performance assessment, and experience running his own businesses, to building the Coalition as an independent organisation.
Elin manages Member onboarding and the Coalition community, and contributes technical expertise across the programme of work. A former Materials and Innovation Manager at H&M Group, she brings downstream industry experience to the Coalition.
If you are interested in learning more about our work, we would like to hear from you. Get in touch with Elin and she will guide you from there.
