Europe could meet over half of its future demand for critical raw materials and minerals through recycling and waste recovery by the middle of the century, according to a new study by WEEE Forum.
WEEE Forum, alongside FutuRaM (Future Availability of Secondary Raw Materials) project researchers, have unveiled a new EU-backed study mapping Europe’s so-called ‘urban mine’ of discarded electronics, batteries, vehicles, industrial waste and demolished infrastructure across the EU27, alongside the UK, Switzerland, Iceland and Norway.
“Europe’s waste streams already contain vast quantities of critical raw materials,” commented Kees Baldé, senior scientific specialist at United Nations Institute for Training and Research (SCYCLE). Harnessing this urban mine will be essential for strengthening supply security, supporting the clean-energy transition, and reducing environmental impacts.”
Raw material assessment
Researchers assessed the availability of 42 critical raw materials embedded across seven major waste streams, estimating that by 2050, Europe could recover between 4.1 million and 5.7 million tonnes of critical raw materials annually through improved recycling and circular economy systems.
Under an advanced circular economy scenario, recovered materials could substitute as much as 56% of Europe’s primary raw material demand, which would reduce Europe’s reliance on imports of raw materials from countries such as China, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Australia.
‘This would reduce European reliance on imported materials and strengthen supply security for key technologies such as batteries, electric vehicles, and renewable solar and wind energy,’ the researchers said.
‘A key advance of the project is a comprehensive overview for multiple waste streams from items placed on the market to waste generation with a new recovery model that distinguishes between critical raw materials present in waste and those available as secondary raw materials after treatment, addressing a major limitation in previous assessments and allowing more policy-relevant estimates of supply potential.’
As the study found, lithium recovery could rise from under 1,000 tonnes annually today to between 30,000 and 52,000 tonnes by 2050, while cobalt recovery could increase from around 1,000 tonnes to as much as 40,000 tonnes annually. Nickel recovery could exceed 170,000 tonnes annually by mid-century and aluminium recovery could more than triple.
The seven waste streams featured in the report include waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE); waste batteries; end-of-life vehicles; construction and demolition waste from buildings; slags and ashes from industrial processes; mining waste and dismantled wind turbines.
The researchers also warned that Europe is currently losing large quantities of valuable materials through poor collection systems, illegal waste exports and informal recycling practices, despite the continent boasting relatively advanced e-waste management systems.
It highlighted particular weaknesses in battery recycling infrastructure, noting that large quantities of partially processed battery material known as ‘black mass’ continue to be exported outside Europe for further processing.
‘Unprecedented clarity’
“This report allows policymakers, researchers, and industry to assess Europe’s ‘urban mine’ with unprecedented clarity,” added Pascal Leroy, director general, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Forum.
“The data and infrastructure we have built provides a foundation for evidence-based policymaking, long-term monitoring, and strategic investment decisions. Whether Europe realises this potential depends on the choices made now – on legislation, recycling infrastructure, and data collection. Considering these powerful findings, our mindset needs to shift to think of ‘secondary’ sources of CRMs as the new primary source.” Read more here.
