Skip to main content
The Blueprint

The Perils of Sand Mining

The Perils of Sand Mining

  • Natural resources underpin economies, but unsustainable consumption, like sand mining, threatens both the environment and long-term economic resilience.
  • Circularity and responsible governance are key, but must be paired with demand reduction and ethical sourcing to manage risks and build business resilience.

Fig.1: Sand Mining and River Dredging

Natural resources form the bedrock of every economy. From minerals and forests to water and fertile soil, these assets and the ecosystem services they provide, underpin all production and human wellbeing. The primary sector, which includes activities like mining and forestry, provides the raw materials that lay the foundation for the secondary and tertiary sectors. In these sectors, raw materials are transformed and value is added through manufacturing and services. The prosperity of modern economies, therefore, remains deeply tied to the health of the natural systems that sustain them. Yet, the extractive nature of economic growth often pushes these systems beyond planetary boundaries, threatening their capacity to regenerate. Protecting and managing nature to maintain ecosystem integrity is thus not merely an environmental concern but also an economic imperative.

Fig.2: Global Sand Scarcity

One such natural resource which our modern economy heavily depends is sand. The importance of sand to socio-economic development is evident from the fact that the volume of sand extracted globally exceeds that of fossil fuels and biomass combined. Urbanisation and population growth have driven an exponential increase in demand for sand, especially in rapidly developing regions such as China, India, and Africa. Roughly 32 to 50 billion tonnes of sand are used globally each year to manufacture concrete, glass, and electronics. Beyond these everyday materials, massive quantities of sand are also required for land reclamation projects.

It may appear that desert sand offers an infinite supply; however, what many do not realise is that desert sand grains are too well-rounded to be used for construction purposes. The only type of sand suitable for construction is angular sand, typically found in riverbeds which make up less than 1% of the world’s land surface. When comparing the global annual sand extraction rate with the estimated natural replenishment rate of only 15 to 20 billion tonnes, the unsustainability of current sand mining practices becomes evident. For companies, this growing scarcity will likely translate to higher production costs and reduced profit margins.

Sand mining also raises significant environmental concerns. Riverbed sand extraction, for instance, can deepen channels, destabilise banks, lower riverbeds, reduce flood frequencies, and increase saltwater intrusion. Meanwhile, coastal and beach mining accelerates coastal erosion. In response, the United Nations has issued resolutions on Mineral Resources Governance, such as UNEA 4/19 and UNEA 5/12, to promote sustainable practices. Nevertheless, in many regions, the drive to meet demand and maximise profits has led to widespread illegal and unregulated sand extraction.

Fig.3: River supports livelihoods

Beyond environmental degradation, sand mining has profound social impacts. The Mekong River, one of the most heavily mined rivers in the world, flows through six countries and supports more than 60 million. Excessive sand mining has also damaged fish nurseries in the Tonle Sap Lake, threatening food security for millions regionally. In some areas, collapsing riverbanks have displaced entire communities. These interconnected environmental and social challenges highlight the urgent need for sustainable sand resource management worldwide.

While circularity presents a crucial opportunity to reduce such impacts when it comes to sand mining, it is not a panacea. As researchers have cautioned, circular strategies alone cannot fully offset the negative externalities of the world’s rising demand for sand and construction materials. Therefore, businesses must go beyond recycling to actively manage and reduce material consumption across their operations and supply chains. Strong corporate governance will plays a central role in this transition. Companies must establish transparent sourcing policies and due diligence mechanisms. Failure to do so not only undermines environmental and social integrity but also exposes firms to significant reputational and regulatory risks. By maximising the use of existing materials, improving resource efficiency, and upholding ethical procurement standards, companies can contribute to both planetary stability and long-term business resilience.

As investors, we favour companies that recognise their dependencies on nature and actively seek to minimise their negative externalities on the environment. Alongside efforts to promote circularity, it is equally important for companies to reduce their overall resource consumption. Firms that enhance resource efficiency are viewed positively, as doing so strengthens business resilience and supports sustainable economic growth. We also reward companies that demonstrate responsible procurement and transparent extraction practices for natural resources, thereby guarding against reputational and regulatory risks.

The Blueprint

With the ever-changing landscape around us, it can get overwhelming to stay up-to-date. The Blueprint highlights pertinent global Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) issues and their importance to investors and the wider community. We look forward to engaging in discussions about the interconnections between climate, nature, and social outcomes that impact our investments and our futures.

Important Information

This material is provided by Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd (“PCM”) for general information only and does not constitute a recommendation, an offer to sell, or a solicitation of any offer to invest in any of the exchange-traded fund (“ETF”) or the unit trust (“Products”) mentioned herein. It does not have any regard to your specific investment objectives, financial situation and any of your particular needs.

The information provided herein may be obtained or compiled from public and/or third party sources that PCM has no reason to believe are unreliable. Any opinion or view herein is an expression of belief of the individual author or the indicated source (as applicable) only. PCM makes no representation or warranty that such information is accurate, complete, verified or should be relied upon as such. The information does not constitute, and should not be used as a substitute for tax, legal or investment advice.

The information herein are not for any person in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or availability for use would contravene any applicable law or regulation or would subject PCM to any registration or licensing requirement in such jurisdiction or country. The Products is not offered to U.S. Persons. PhillipCapital Group of Companies, including PCM, their affiliates and/or their officers, directors and/or employees may own or have positions in the Products. This advertisement has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.

Leave a Reply

FATCA NOTICE

With effect from 1st July 2014, this FATCA Notice (the “Notice”) forms part of the terms and conditions of our products and services (the “Terms and Conditions”) governing your relationship (“you”, “your”, “yours” referred to herein include joint-account holders and beneficiary holders of an entity who are a natural person) with Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd and its related corporations (collectively referred to herein as “PCM”, “us”, “we” or “our”) and should be read in conjunction with those Terms and Conditions, including those under our Personal Data Protection Notice.The existing terms and conditions of any contractual agreement entered into between PCM a nd you (the “Existing Terms and Conditions”) remain in full force and effect. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this Notice and those of the Existing Terms and Conditions, the provisions of this Notice shall prevail.

We may from time to time update the Terms and Conditions listed here to ensure their consistency with our future developments,industry trends and/or any changes in legal or regulatory requirements. Such updates will be published at http://www.phillipfunds.com/ .

On March 18, 2010, the United States of America’s (“U.S.”) Hiring Incentives to Restore Employment Act of 2010 (Pub.L.111-147H.R.2847)) (the “Act”) was enacted into law. Section 501(a) of the Act added a new chapter 4 (sections 1471-1474) to Subtitle A of the U.S.’s Internal Revenue Code (Code).Chapter 4 expands the information reporting requirements imposed on foreign financial institutions (as defined in section 1471(d)(4)) (FFIs) with respect to certain U.S. accounts (as defined in section 1471(d)(1)) of specified U.S. person, and imposes withholding, documentation, and reporting requirements with respect to certain payments made to certain foreign entities.

PCM will be obliged to comply with the provisions of FATCA under the terms of the inter-governmental agreement (“IGA”) Model I between the U.S. and Singapore and under the terms of Singapore’s subsidiary legislation which will be issued pursuant to Singapore’s Income Tax Act (Cap. 134) to implement the IGA. “FATCA” or “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” means Chapter 4 (sections 1471 to 1474) to Subtitle A of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

“FATCA” or “Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act” means Chapter 4 (sections 1471 to 1474) to Subtitle A of the U.S.Internal Revenue Code.

“U.S. person” means a U.S. citizen or resident individual, a partnership or corporation organised in the U.S. or under the laws of the U.S. or any state of the U.S. thereof, a trust if: (i) a court within the U.S.would have authority under the applicable law to render orders or judgments concerning substantially all issues regarding the administration of the trust; and (ii) one or more U.S. persons have the authority to control all substantial decisions of the trust, or an estate of a decedent that is a citizen or resident of the U.S..This definition shall be interpreted in accordance with the provisions of the U.S. Internal Revenue Code.

  • You shall provide all required documentation or information, including but not limited to your date of birth, countries of citizenship, countries of permanent residence, countries of tax residency and associated taxpayer identification numbers, which may be required to enable PCM to ascertain your U.S. tax status and share information and /or documents relating to you and/or your account(s) with domestic and international authorities for the purpose of complying with all the requirements of FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or other countries,any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations.
  • You represent and warrant that you have provided to PCM all documentation or information in relation to change in your tax status or as required by PCM for compliance with all the requirements of FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or other countries,any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations. You shall provide all required documentation or information within seven (7) days of a request from PCM in writing or otherwise.
  • You shall notify PCM in writing immediately in the event of any change that affects your tax status for the purpose of complying with the requirements of FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or other countries,any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations. Such change that affects your tax status may include any change of the country or territory of your domicile or residence or any change of your nationality or obtaining of any new nationality. In these instances, you shall provide all information and/or documents as required or requested by PCM.
  • You acknowledge and agree that when you fail to provide accurate and timely information pursuant to this Notice, for the purpose of complying with the FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or other countries, any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations, PCM may deem you as a recalcitrant and/or a reportable person and report this information to the Singapore Inland Revenue Authority, in accordance with applicable laws and regulations, which will in turn report to the IRS.
  • It is the existing policy of PCM that investment products and investment accounts managed by PCM (“PCM Products and Services”) are not being offered or sold to U.S. Persons and that subsequent transfer of PCM Products and/or Services to a U.S.Persons are prohibited.
  • If investment accounts or products managed by PCM are beneficially owned by a U.S. Person or if PCM deemed you as a recalcitrant and/or a reportable person,PCM may compulsorily cancel your pending subscription order or capital injection,terminate the contractual relationship with you and withhold an amount for transferring to the relevant tax authorities as required under the FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or other countries, any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations. PCM shall have no liability for losses,fees, costs, expense, damages, liabilities of any kind which you may have suffered in connection with such cancellation, termination, withholding amount and/or as a result of our complying with the requirements of FATCA, the IGA between Singapore and U.S or othercountries,any applicable Singapore or international laws or regulations,even if we make an incorrect assessment and decision.

PDPA

PERSONAL DATA PROTECTION NOTICE

With effect from 1st July 2014, this Personal Data Protection Notice (the “Notice”) forms part of the terms and conditions of our products and services (the “Terms and Conditions”) governing your relationship (“you”, “your”, “yours” referred to herein include joint-account holders and beneficiary holders of an entity who are a natural person) with Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd and its related corporations (collectively referred to herein as “PCM”, “us”, “we” or “our”). Without prejudice to the existing terms and conditions of any contractual agreement entered into between PCM and you (the “Existing Terms and Conditions”), which remain in full force and effect, this Notice shall be read in conjunction with the Existing Terms and Conditions. In the event of any conflict or inconsistency between the provisions of this Notice and those of the Existing Terms and Conditions, the provisions of this Notice shall prevail.

We are required under the Personal Data Protection Act (“PDPA”) to put in place the necessary arrangements to protect personal data and comply with the PDPA. Personal data includes any data and information, whether true or not, about an individual (a natural person) who can be identified from that data or information, such as your name, NRIC, passport or other identification number, telephone numbers, address, email address and any other information relating to individuals which you or your authorized representative have provided to us or we are likely to have access to (“Personal Data”).

This Notice outlines the purposes for the collection, use and/or disclosure of your Personal Data by PCM, how we protect your Personal Data and your rights with respect to the collection, use and/or disclosure of your Personal Data. This Notice supplements but does not supersede nor replace any other consents which you may have previously provided to us in respect of your Personal Data, and your consents herein are additional to any rights which we may have at law to collect, use and/or disclose your Personal Data. We may from time to time update the Terms and Conditions listed here to ensure their consistency with our future developments, industry trends and/or any changes in legal or regulatory requirements. Such updates will be published at http://www.phillipfunds.com/.

1. PCM may collect, use and/or disclose your personal data for any of the following purposes listed below (collectively “Permitted Purposes”):-

i) carrying out activities, duties and obligations in connection with our products and services which you have applied for, including evaluating your eligibility and credit profile, verifying the identity or authority of your representatives, administration of your account and/or managing our overall relationship with you (including but not limited to the outsourcing of any of our functions to service providers or vendors, due diligence checks, accounting and portfolio valuation, billing and collections, business continuity and print management);

(ii) developing new services and/or products;

(iii) providing you with marketing, advertising and promotional information, materials and/or documents related to financial products and/or services that we may be selling, marketing, offering or promoting, whether such financial products or services exist now or are created in the future;

(iv) marketing and promotional events, including but not limited to images, photographs or videos of you during the events;

(v) meeting or complying with PCM’s internal policies and procedures and any applicable rules, law, regulations, codes of practice or guidelines, orders or requests issued by any court, legal or regulatory bodies (both national and international) (including but not limited to disclosures to regulatory authorities or financial industry self-regulatory bodies; conducting audit checks (internal/external), surveillance and investigation; handling of customer feedback or complaint; dispute resolutions; recording of telephone conversations and/or electronic communications with you; conducting checks or investigations for prevention and/or detection of financial crimes such as money-laundering, financing of terrorism, fraud and/or bribery etc.);

(vi) legal purposes, including but not limited to obtaining legal advice and enforcing or defending our legal and/or contractual rights against you;

(vii) risk management, statistical and trend analysis;

(viii) processing and/or storing data and/or information related to your relationship with PCM.

2. PCM, in order to facilitate the discharge of its duties and obligations to you, may be required to disclose your Personal Data for the Permitted Purposes and/or for processing of the Permitted Purposes on a need-to-know basis, to any of the following entities and the directors, officers, staff, employees and agents of any such entities, whether located within or outside Singapore (“Relevant Persons”):-

(i) any associate or related company of PCM and the directors, officers, staff, employees and agents of any such person;

(ii) any actual or proposed assignee or transferee of any of PCM’s rights and obligations or any actual or proposed delegate of any of PCM’s functions and duties under its contractual relationship with you;

(iii) any relevant governmental, supervisory or regulatory authority or court of law, including the Monetary Authority of Singapore, to which PCM is or may be subject;

(ix) any person in order to give effect to any instruction from you or any person acting or purporting to be acting on behalf of you;

(x) any person as PCM may consider necessary in order to comply with any order, directive or policy of any court or governmental or regulatory authority in any jurisdiction;

(xi) any person when required to do so in accordance with the laws of any applicable jurisdiction or rules of any professional self-regulatory bodies or securities exchanges;

(xii) any agent, contractor or third party service provider who provides their services in connection with the operation of PCM’s fund management business, including but not limited to the custodians, trustees, fund administrators, registrars, banks, legal firms, accounting and auditing firms, printing firms, IT service providers, credit reference agencies, credit bureaus, data screening entities for the purpose of due diligence checks and the prevention and detection of financial crimes.

3. PCM’s related companies and third party service providers shall be bound by the same provisions as set out in this Notice and we will require them to ensure that your Personal Data are kept confidential and secure.

4. You represent and warrant that your Personal Data provided to us is accurate and complete for us to make a decision that affects you or to disclose your Personal Data to the above-mentioned Relevant Persons on a need-to-know basis. Where applicable, when you provided Personal Data relating to another individual (e.g. your dependent, spouse, children and/or parents) to us, you represent and warrant that such Personal Data is accurate and complete and the consent of that individual has been obtained for the collection, use and disclosure of his/her Personal Data in accordance with the provisions listed in this Notice.

5. We will retain your Personal Data to the extent that one or more of the Purposes for which your Personal Data was collected, used and/or disclosed is/are still valid and for legal, regulatory reporting or regulatory investigations purposes for which retention may be necessary.

6. PCM may terminate any contractual relationship which you may have with us, if any information provided to us is insufficient, misleading or erroneous or if any information that is required to be disclosed to any regulatory authority for compliance with any law or regulation is not provided by you.

7. You may request access to or make corrections to your Personal Data records. Depending on the information requested PCM may charge a small fee when you request access to your Personal Data. Upon your request and subject to the provisions under the PDPA, PCM will respond accordingly within reasonably possible time. Please submit your request to our Data Protection Officer via [email protected].

8. You may withdraw your consent to any use or disclosure of your Personal Data for any or all of the Purposes as set out in this Notice by giving written notice to us. If you withdraw your consent(s), depending on the nature of your request, we may not be in a position to continue to provide our products or services to you or administer any contractual relationship in place. Such withdrawal may be considered a termination by you of any agreement you may have with us. Where there is any breach of your contractual obligations or undertakings, PCM’s legal rights and remedies are expressly reserved in such event.

Important Information

By accessing and using this website (the “Website”) and any web page hereof, you agree to be bound by the terms and conditions below. Reference to these general terms of use should be made each time you access and use the Website.

This Website, its services and contents are provided for your use by PhillipCapital, which is a group of companies who together offer a full range of financial services to retail, corporate and institutional customers. Member companies in Singapore include Phillip Securities Pte Ltd, Phillip Securities Research Pte Ltd, Phillip Financial Pte Ltd, Phillip Nova Pte Ltd, Phillip Capital Management (S) Ltd, Phillip Private Equity Pte Ltd, Phillip Japan Fund Management Pte Ltd, CyberQuote Pte Ltd, IFS Capital Limited and ECICS Limited. Member companies can otherwise be identified by their authorised use of PhillipCapital brand name along with their own name in their documentation and literature.

 

Use of Information and Materials

The contents of this website are provided to you for general information only and should not be used as a recommendation or basis for making any specific investment, business or commercial decision. These pages should not be construed as a recommendation, an offer or solicitation for the subscription, purchase or sale of the securities, and specifically funds or any investment products, mentioned herein, or, in any jurisdiction to any person to whom it is unlawful to make such an invitation or solicitation in such jurisdiction. Accordingly, no warranty whatsoever is given and no liability whatsoever is accepted for any loss arising whether directly or indirectly as a result of your acting based on this information.

Investments are subject to investment risks including the possible loss of the principal amount invested. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of the future or likely performance of the fund(s). There can be no assurance that investment objectives will be achieved. Any use of financial derivative instruments will be for hedging and/or for efficient portfolio management. The value of any investments and the income from them may fall as well as rise.

Investments in the fund(s) managed by PCM are not obligations of, deposits in, or guaranteed by PCM or any of its affiliates.

The information contained in these pages is not intended to provide professional advice and should not be relied upon in that regard. It also does not have any regard to your specific investment objective, financial situation and any of your particular needs. You should read the relevant prospectus and the accompanying product highlights sheet (“PHS”) for disclosure of key features, key risks and other important information of the relevant fund(s) and obtain advice from a financial adviser (“FA”) before making a commitment to invest in the fund(s). In the event that you choose not to obtain advice from a qualified financial adviser, you should assess and consider whether the investment product is suitable for you before proceeding to invest and we do not offer any advice in this regard unless mandated to do so by way of a separate engagement. A copy of the prospectus and PHS are available from PCM or any of its authorized distributors.

You are advised to read the applicable Terms and Conditions governing each account and the relevant Risk Disclosure Statement, if any, carefully before investing in any investment products.

The contents of this website, including these terms and conditions, are subject to change and may be modified, deleted or replaced from time to time and at any time at the sole and absolute discretion of PhillipCapital. Any opinions or views herein are made on a general basis and are subject to change without notice.

Member companies of PhillipCapital, their directors, officers, associates, agents, affiliates and/or employees may own or have positions in the investments mentioned herein.

This publication and Information herein are not for any person in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or availability for use would contravene any applicable law or regulation or would subject PCM to any registration or licensing requirement in such jurisdiction or country. The fund(s) is/are not offered to U.S. Persons.

 

Timeliness, accuracy and completeness of information

 In particular, we assume no responsibility for or make any representations, endorsements, or warranties whatsoever in relation to the timeliness, accuracy and completeness of any services, content, information and/or data contained in the Website, whether provided by us, any content providers or third parties.

 

Copyright 

PhillipCapital and/or its member companies reserve all copyright and intellectual property rights to the services, content, information and data on the Website. The contents in the Website are protected by copyright and no part or parts hereof may be modified, reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted (in any form or by any means), copied, distributed, published, displayed, broadcasted, hyperlinked, used for creating derivative works or used in any other way for commercial or public purposes without the prior written consent of PhillipCapital and/or its member companies.

 

No Warranties 

While every care has been taken in preparing the contents contained in the Website, such contents are provided to you “as is” and “as available” without warranty of any kind either express or implied. In particular, no warranty regarding non-infringement, security, accuracy, fitness for a particular purpose or freedom from computer virus is given in conjunction with such contents. Member companies of PhillipCapital, their directors, officers, associates, agents and affiliates make no representations, endorsements or warranties of any kind about the services, content, information and/or data contained in the Website.

 

Separate Contracts 

The provision of any service or products provided by PhillipCapital and/or its member companies through the Website shall be expressly subject to the particular terms and conditions as contained in the contract for the supply of such service or product. Any warranties or representations made in relation to the provision of such service or product are as made in the contract only and PhillipCapital and/or its member companies make no separate warranty or representation through the Website or through these general terms of use.

 

Exclusion of Liability and Indemnity 

In no event shall PhillipCapital and/or its member companies be liable to you for any loss, damage, costs, charges and/or expenses of whatsoever nature and howsoever arising including legal fees on a full indemnity basis, cost of funding and loss or cost incurred by you as a result of or in connection with:

  1. any access, use or the inability to access or use this website, use of or reliance on the contents of this website;
  2. any transaction performed on any web page in the Website;
  3. any loss or abuse or unauthorized disclosure of information, including customer information;
  4. any system, server or connection failure, error, omission, interruption, interception, delay in operation or transmission, or computer virus;
  5. any use of or access to any websites linked to the Website;
  6. any service, product, information, data, software or other materials obtained from this Website or from any other websites linked to this Website;
  7. breach or violation of any third party rights, including but not limited to the violation of any proprietary or intellectual property rights or the enforcement of any of these general terms of use.

 

Governing Law 

These general terms of use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Singapore and all parties hereby agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Republic of Singapore. Products and services referred to in this website are offered only in jurisdictions where and when they may be lawfully offered by PhillipCapital and/or its member companies. The contents in the Website are not intended for use by persons located in or resident in jurisdictions that restrict the distribution of such materials by us. Persons accessing these pages are required to inform themselves about and observe any relevant restrictions. The terms and conditions governing the use of the Website of each member company of PhillipCapital may differ and you should consult and carefully read the applicable terms and conditions before using the website.

This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.