Environmental stamp of approval for rare earth operations

China's Ministry of Environmental Protection has announced a list of the first 15 rare earth metal enterprises that have been given the official environmental stamp of approval.

The ministry announced a crack-down on the valuable but increasingly in demand sector. Currently there are only 84 companies that have passed inspections by environmental watchdogs in 14 provincial divisions, according to Xinhua. China has more than 300 enterprises working in the rare earth metal industry.

Environmental protection departments across China will not accept environmental impact assessment reports on any new rare earth projects unless they are submitted by enterprises that are on the list. Without an environmental impact assessment report, no industrial projects can be legally approved in China.