Gold (Au)

Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all elements. While jewellery accounts for approximately half of the global gold demand, it is also an important metal in electronics and is used as a semiconductor, printed circuit and electrical contact. China is the leading producer of gold, although Australia holds the largest share of global reserves. China is also the world’s largest consumer of gold, while . Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates are major hubs for the refining and trade of gold. reportedly refines over half of the world’s gold.  

Gold is associated with a large range of ESG issues stemming from both large-scale mining (LSM) and artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) supply chains, which comprises 15-20% of annual production of newly extracted gold.i. It is strongly associated with reports of pollution, community rights violations, violence and conflict, labour rights, child labour, corruption, and non-payment of taxes. This is due to a variety of reasons, including the fact that approximately 15-20% of gold is produced through artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM).