Critical raw materials are not used to their full extent as part of the circular economy and there are several opportunities for improvement to reuse and recycle these materials, according to a recent report, “Critical Raw Materials and the Circular Economy,” published by the EU Joint Research Centre.
The report provides a detailed analysis for some specific sectors, such as extractive waste, electric and electronic equipment, batteries, automotive, and renewable energy, describing the current state of play for key critical raw materials and identifying a number of good practices in each sector.
The report concludes that for several economic sectors in the EU, the use of critical raw materials is far from being fully circular. The gaps are due to various factors, including the loss of materials during collection and recycling of end-of-life products.
The report identifies opportunities and formulates advice for future actions. It discusses policy actions at the EU level to improve the legislative framework to increase the availability of secondary critical raw materials through improved waste collection and treatment.
The report also points to further R&D as key for making available more innovative, efficient, and cost-effective technologies for the extraction of critical raw materials.
The report argues that research and industry initiatives should also foster material-efficient solutions in the use of critical raw materials in various sectors and that not only recycling, but also reuse, product lifetime extension, and new business models be considered.
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Critical raw materials are not used to their full extent as part of the circular economy and there are several opportunities for improvement to reuse and recycle these materials, according to a recent report, “Critical Raw Materials and the Circular Economy,” published by the EU Joint Research Centre.
The report provides a detailed analysis for some specific sectors, such as extractive waste, electric and electronic equipment, batteries, automotive, and renewable energy, describing the current state of play for key critical raw materials and identifying a number of good practices in each sector.
The report concludes that for several economic sectors in the EU, the use of critical raw materials is far from being fully circular. The gaps are due to various factors, including the loss of materials during collection and recycling of end-of-life products.
The report identifies opportunities and formulates advice for future actions. It discusses policy actions at the EU level to improve the legislative framework to increase the availability of secondary critical raw materials through improved waste collection and treatment.
The report also points to further R&D as key for making available more innovative, efficient, and cost-effective technologies for the extraction of critical raw materials.
The report argues that research and industry initiatives should also foster material-efficient solutions in the use of critical raw materials in various sectors and that not only recycling, but also reuse, product lifetime extension, and new business models be considered.