Earth Day 2025: The Companies Controlling the World’s Resources

Today is Earth Day, a special moment to celebrate our planet and focus on ways we can protect its natural resources and environment. With the rise of the environmental movement and the celebration of the first Earth Day in 1970, awareness of the need to protect our planet has taken on paramount importance, especially in light of the growing climate challenges we face.

In that light, new tools have emerged to measure the impact companies have on our planet, specifically their environmental impact and how sustainable they are. ESG analysis has developed as a leading metric investors can use to understand how public companies are performing across three broad categories – Environmental, Social, and Governance.

On Earth Day, the environmental impact takes the lead, but the others play important roles in building a complete picture of how a company impacts the world. And on Earth Day, more than any other day, it’s important to focus on businesses that control and capitalize on Earth’s shared resources.

So on this day, we wanted to take a look at some of the world’s leading companies; specifically those that extract resources from the Earth. Here are eight select companies that control resources, alongside a snapshot of their ESG ratings as delivered by our investment intelligence platform. Each company’s rating is a relative ranking of how they perform on important ESG metrics in comparison to others in the same industry.

Earth Day 2025 – Resource Companies to Watch

Albemarle Corporation (ALB) (“Buy” – 83)

Albemarle, based in Charlotte, NC, produces specialty chemicals with a focus on lithium for batteries. In 2024, it delivered strong results with $1.1B in adjusted EBITDA and 26% volume growth in energy storage, supported by cost discipline and strong cash flow. While leverage remains high, reduced capex and growing lithium demand position the company well for future energy transition trends.

Fun Fact: Albemarle is one of the world’s largest producers of lithium for electric vehicle batteries

Newmont Corporation  (NEM) (“Outperform” – 78)

Newmont, based in Denver, Colorado, is a leading gold miner also producing copper, silver, zinc, and lead. In 2024, it generated $2.9B in free cash flow, with record Q4 performance and gold output surpassing guidance at 6.8 million ounces, mostly from top-tier assets. Backed by strong liquidity and strategic asset sales, Newmont is well-positioned for stable gold and copper production despite near-term cost pressures.

Fun Fact: Newmont is the world’s largest gold mining company, with a market cap of more than $60 billion and LTM revenue of ~$19 billion.

Chevron Corporation (CVX) (“Outperform” – 82)

Chevron, based in Houston, Texas, is a global energy company focused on oil and natural gas. In 2024, it grew production by 7% and returned a record $27B to shareholders, despite one-time impacts on free cash flow. With strong balance sheet flexibility, major project milestones, and a focus on efficiency, Chevron is positioned for $10B in free cash flow growth by 2026.

Fun Fact: Chevron traces its roots back to the 1870s and was originally part of Standard Oil, the oil empire built by John D. Rockefeller.

South32 Limited (S32.AX) (“Buy” – 84)

South32, based in Perth, Australia, is a diversified mining company producing aluminum, coal, nickel, silver, and other metals. In H1 FY25, it saw a 44% jump in EBITDA to $1.0B, strong free cash flow, and significantly reduced net debt. With expanding operations in Australia and the U.S., and growing exposure to energy transition metals, South32 is well-positioned for long-term growth.

Fun Fact: South32 was spun off from BHP, one of the world’s largest natural resources companies, in 2015, to operate as an independent company.

First Quantum Minerals Ltd. (FM.TO) (“Buy” – 87) 

First Quantum, based in Vancouver, Canada, specializes in copper mining and development. Despite the suspension of its Cobre Panama mine, the company delivered strong 2024 results, with copper and gold output exceeding guidance and Q4 EBITDA of $634M. With solid cost control, improving liquidity, and key projects like Kansanshi S3 progressing, First Quantum is managing near-term challenges while positioning for long-term copper growth.

Fun Fact: Operates the Cobre Panama mine, one of the largest new copper mines globally.

Cameco Corporation (CCO) (“Buy” – 95)

Cameco, based in Saskatoon, Canada, produces uranium fuel for nuclear power plants. In 2024, it delivered strong results with 39% revenue growth to CAD 2.59B, driven by higher uranium output and strong pricing. Backed by reliable Tier-1 assets and Westinghouse earnings (which are anchored in reactor services, fuel fabrication, and engineering support for nuclear utilities worldwide), Cameco is well-positioned for strong cash flow and long-term growth amid rising nuclear demand.

Fun Fact: Cameco is one of the world’s largest uranium producers.

Southern Copper Corporation  (SCCO) (“Outperform” – 76)

Southern Copper, based in Phoenix, Arizona, mines and processes copper and other minerals like molybdenum, zinc, and silver. In 2024, it posted strong results with Q4 sales up 21% to $2.8B and adjusted EBITDA rising 43% to $1.51B, driven by higher prices and volume growth. With low copper cash costs, robust cash flow, and major expansion projects underway, the company is well-positioned to benefit from a bullish long-term copper outlook.

Fun Fact: Operates some of the largest copper reserves in the industry.

Pan American Silver Corp. (PAAS) (“Buy” – 90)

Pan American Silver, based in Vancouver, Canada, produces silver and gold from mining operations across the Americas. In 2024, it reported record results with $2.8B in revenue, 892,000 ounces of gold, and 21.1 million ounces of silver produced. Backed by strong free cash flow, a net cash position, and rising metal prices, the company is well-positioned for margin expansion and continued shareholder returns.

Fun Fact: One of the largest primary silver producers in the world.