Critical Minerals Standards: ANSI Launches Initiative to Strengthen U.S. Supply Chains and Request for Information

New initiative maps the standards landscape, convenes stakeholders, and builds toward a national strategy

NEW YORK, April 20, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is launching a multi-phase initiative to strengthen U.S. coordination on critical minerals standards — the shared rules and benchmarks that help ensure minerals are sourced responsibly, supply chains remain secure, and American industry stays competitive globally. This initiative moves forward thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Mining and Mineral Production Technologies Office, whose partnership made it possible to act on one of the nation's most pressing industrial priorities. It directly responds to U.S. government priorities to secure domestic supply chains and reduce dependence on foreign sources of critical minerals. 

This effort brings together U.S. stakeholders to coordinate national standards priorities, positioning American industry and government to contribute meaningfully to the success of the G7 Critical Minerals Standards Roadmap while harnessing the momentum of the current administration's focus on supply chain resilience and domestic competitiveness.

The initiative includes a standards landscape assessment, a webinar series, a two-day hybrid workshop, and a summary report with recommended next steps. A call for webinar speakers and a request for information for the standards landscape is open.

Why This Matters

Critical minerals are foundational to national defense, clean energy, advanced electronics, manufacturing, and infrastructure. Yet as global demand rises, the U.S. faces real risks: fragmented efforts at home, supply chain vulnerabilities, and growing urgency to align on the international rules that govern how these materials are sourced, processed, and traded.

Standards bring order to that complexity. They promote transparency and traceability across supply chains, help U.S. companies access global markets, and give the public and private sectors a common framework for investment. Without a coordinated approach, the U.S. risks ceding influence to competitors who are already moving.

What the Initiative Includes

ANSI connects the organizations that develop standards with the industries that rely on them. To accelerate U.S. leadership on critical minerals, ANSI will deliver:

• A standards landscape assessment that maps the current state of play: which standards exist, which organizations develop them, where work is underway, and where gaps remain. The assessment will cover the full supply chain — from extraction through processing, manufacturing, and recovery — and consolidate prior mapping efforts into a single, accessible resource. A Request for Information (RFI) is open.
• A webinar series to raise awareness of existing standards and regulatory activities related to critical minerals, including a dedicated session for U.S. government stakeholders. Briefings will feature standards developers working across the supply chain. Speakers invited and registration is open.
• A two-day hybrid workshop convening federal agencies, standards organizations, and industry to identify high-priority needs, explore challenges, and inform the development of a U.S. critical minerals standards strategy this September in the Washington, DC area. A summary report will capture key findings, gaps, and recommended next steps.

Ongoing Coordination

ANSI also convenes a quarterly U.S. ISO Critical Minerals Standards Coordination Group for members of U.S. delegations to ISO Technical Committees. The group serves as a forum to share information, coordinate engagement, and align international standards activities. The next meeting is April 24 — registration is now open.

About ANSI

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance both the global competitiveness of U.S. business and the U.S. quality of life by promoting and facilitating voluntary consensus standards and conformity assessment systems, and safeguarding their integrity. Its membership is comprised of businesses, professional societies and trade associations, standards developers, government agencies, and consumer and labor organizations.

The Institute represents and serves the diverse interests of more than 270,000 companies and organizations and 30 million professionals worldwide. ANSI is the official U.S. representative to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and, via the U.S. National Committee, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). For more information, visit www.ansi.org and access the latest news and content on LinkedIn, X, and Facebook.

SOURCE American National Standards Institute