The race for critical materials like rare earths continues to heat up, with new players emerging alongside established industry leaders.

Sustainable Platform's data helps institutional investors, suppliers and customers identify companies balancing financial performance with sustainable practices, a key consideration in today's market and critical data for new taxonomy rules being introduced in Australia and globally, and also for the new EU SFDR reporting that requires double materiality data with value chain exposures.

Rare earths are normally a small portion of business activities, yet they are detectable by Sustainable Platform which has collected material data covering seven years of economic activity.

Analysing data from Sustainable Platform, here's a glimpse into some of the companies that have recently entered the rare earths sector with defence applications (as of 2023-24):

• Disruptive Technologies: Companies like IperionX (ASX: IPX) and Aura Systems (PNK: AUSI) are making waves with their focus on innovative extraction and processing technologies for rare earths. While they haven't yet reported significant economic activity, their relevance scores (4.0% and 3.5% respectively) suggest they're poised to make an impact.
• Shifting Priorities: Established companies like Tata Motors (NSE: TATAMOTORS) (0.6% economic activity) and Siemens Energy AG (ETR:ENR) (0.8% economic activity) are expanding their involvement in the rare earths sector. This trend highlights the growing importance of these materials for various applications, including electric vehicles and advanced weaponry.
• Exploration and Development: New entrants like Idaho Strategic Resources (AMEX: IDR) (1.0% economic activity) are focusing on exploration and development activities, potentially laying the groundwork for future rare earths production.

As the demand for rare earths and their role in defense applications continues to grow, we can expect to see even more companies entering this dynamic sector.

Sustainable Platform will continue to collect insights on this evolving landscape and provide insights for institutional investors and companies into the key players shaping the future.

Contact us for more information or stay tuned for more updates as this sector continues to evolve.