Call to action: Seeking collaborators for a global critical minerals grand challenge

Amazon is working with XPRIZE to design a competition to advance critical minerals circularity and responsible sourcing practices.

The technology we use every day—our phones, laptops, and electric vehicles—depends on materials most people never see. Critical minerals like lithium, cobalt, nickel, copper, and rare earth elements are essential to the global economy and the clean energy transition, powering everything from batteries to data centers and renewable energy systems. Yet the systems that supply these materials are under increasing strain. Supply chains are highly concentrated and vulnerable to disruption, creating risks for energy security, geopolitical stability, and the pace of decarbonization. At the same time, communities closest to mineral extraction often face significant human rights challenges, from unsafe labor conditions and human rights risks to environmental degradation and potential impacts on Indigenous lands.

According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), global demand for critical minerals is projected to quadruple by 2040, amplifying those risks—and creating opportunities. Conventional mining alone cannot meet this demand quickly or responsibly. New projects can take more than a decade to develop, and expansion could intensify pressure on ecosystems and communities. Today’s system also remains largely linear—materials are extracted, used, and too often lost as waste before the end of their useful life. Meeting this moment will require building more circular systems that keep critical minerals in use longer through recovery, reuse, and recycling.

That's why Amazon is collaborating with XPRIZE, the world's leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity's grand challenges. Together, we are designing the XPRIZE Critical Minerals grand challenge: a global competition to help accelerate scalable solutions that advance circularity and transform how these essential materials are sourced, processed, and reused. And we are inviting other companies, government entities, and funders to join us in shaping and scaling this effort. 

This collaboration reflects our ongoing work to support a just transition—defined by the International Labour Organization as “greening the economy in a way that is as fair and inclusive as possible, creating decent work opportunities, and leaving no one behind.” In practice, this means aligning decarbonization efforts with respect for the human rights of workers and communities, expanding access to safe, fairly compensated jobs, and ensuring the benefits of the clean energy transition are shared more widely.

"Critical minerals are foundational to transitioning to cleaner energy, but today's supply chains weren't designed for the scale or speed of tomorrow's demand," said Kara Hurst, Amazon’s chief sustainability officer. "The XPRIZE Critical Minerals competition aims to mobilize innovators worldwide to develop solutions that don't just recover and reuse these materials more effectively, but fundamentally redesign how they flow through the global economy. This is about building supply chain resilience, protecting human rights in mining communities, and ensuring the technologies powering decarbonization are designed for sustainability and economic viability." 

For Amazon's business, this work matters deeply and is essential to achieving our Climate Pledge goal to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040. We're rapidly transforming our infrastructure—from over 700 wind and solar projects around the globe to battery materials powering over 35,000 electric delivery vehicles—and these investments will only continue to grow as we expand our operations. We are continuously working to strengthen raw material supply chains and support responsible sourcing of critical minerals, including through initiatives like the Responsible Minerals Initiative and The Copper Mark, both of which promote greater transparency, stronger standards, and more responsible practices across supply chains.

“Our collaboration with Amazon reflects a shared commitment to strengthening supply chains and advancing more responsible solutions for the clean energy transition,” said Anousheh Ansari, XPRIZE’s CEO. "XPRIZE Critical Minerals will challenge innovators worldwide—from startups and research institutions to entrepreneurs developing breakthrough technologies—to develop sustainable, scalable solutions that meet future demands.”

The competition—which will be designed in the coming months—will seek innovations that help reduce reliance on vulnerable supply chains, better safeguard human rights and ecosystems, and unlock economically viable pathways for circular mineral production and responsible sourcing. By creating proven solutions that industries, governments, and markets can adopt with confidence, the competition aims to attract the investment needed to scale these innovations and drive the clean energy economy forward.

Advancing more resilient and responsible critical mineral supply chains requires collaboration across industries, governments, innovators, and communities. We invite mission-aligned strategic collaborators and funders to join us and help design the challenge to reshape how these essential materials are sourced, used, and reused around the world.

Learn more about the competition and how your organization can get involved.

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