About: Raw materials
OpinionPromoted content
EU Green Deal cannot deliver without a strong raw materials industry
Bernd Schäfer, CEO of EITRawMaterials, highlights the need for an overarching strategy and urgent action to secure the future of Europe’s strategic raw materials sector and ensure it can deliver on the Green Deal.
Explosive demand growth could lead to supply shortages in raw materials
While the EU is currently working to unbundle the economic dependency on Russia, the exponential increase of demand for raw materials is unveiling increasing supply risks due to the high dependency on China, industry and experts warn.
Burned by Russia, Germany seeks to lessen dependence on China
Germany's dependence on Chinese raw materials is increasingly attracting the government's attention as it continues, together with the EU, to work at full speed on freeing itself from Russian economic dependence. EURACTIV Germany reports.
EU ramping up efforts for strategic autonomy in raw materials
While Europe's dependency on Russian energy makes headlines, the EU is also increasingly keen decrease its dependency on third states - most notably China - when it comes to essential raw materials.
No green and digital transition without raw materials, EU warns
Europe's transition to a sustainable and digital society is only possible with a strategic approach to the raw materials needed to manufacture chips, electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies, the EU's internal market Commissioner Thierry Breton said on Monday (25 April).
Raw materials: why Europe needs to ramp up its battery game
Europe can play a special role in setting standards that have a global impact and prevent batteries from being discarded prematurely, writes Claudius Jehle.
Responsible sourcing of raw materials vital as fossil fuel era ends
Robust regulation is needed at EU-level to ensure that workers and the environment are protected during the extraction of battery metals, write Mark Dummett and Julia Poliscanova.
Stop the mining rush in protected nature
Last year, the World Bank indicated that production of graphite, lithium and cobalt must increase by more than 450% by 2050 to meet the demand for energy storage technologies. Is the energy transition in danger? Do we have to exploit resources massively in Europe to avoid becoming dependent on imports? Green MEPs have an alternative plan.
Textile transparency issues will not vanish with upcoming EU’s strategy
The European Commission's plan to guide and support the EU textile industry in emerging from the COVID-19 crisis might fall short when it comes to the traceability of textile raw materials.
Industry anxious about mandatory recycling targets in EU battery law
Requiring companies to use recycled metals in new electric vehicle batteries is necessary to prevent manufacturers from opting for cheaper, freshly mined virgin materials, the EU says. Still, the automotive sector, battery makers and the mining industry are all anxious about the upcoming EU battery regulation.
Mining industry warns against Europe’s drive for raw material ‘autonomy’
Relying solely on raw materials sourced within Europe could incentivise the use of cheaper, non-recyclable batteries, increasing the need to mine virgin materials to power electric vehicles, industry has said.
Sustainable sourcing of battery raw materials
EV batteries are critical to achieving the EU´s climate change targets. Europe has therefore set itself the ambitious goal of establishing - within a very short time frame - a complete and competitive electric vehicle battery value chain.
Polish copper giant signs deal with US firm for small nuclear reactors
Polish copper giant KGHM on Thursday (23 September) signed a memorandum of understanding with NuScale Power of the United States for the development of at least four small nuclear reactors to power its plants.
China: The dragon spreads its wings over Afghanistan
China is looking to fill political and security void in the region after the US troops and the West left Afghanistan, for which it had prepared for a long time, writes Jessica Taneja.
EU, Ukraine sign ‘strategic partnership’ on raw materials
Kyiv will be invited on Tuesday (13 July) to join EU industrial alliances on batteries and raw materials, with a view to develop an entire value chain of the extraction, refining and recycling of minerals in Ukraine to supply the EU market for electric cars and digital equipment.
Electricity, heat and lithium: geothermal offers new hope for old mining county
A project in Cornwall, England, is building on the county’s history of tin mining, looking to restore jobs and boost the local economy by developing a new geothermal plant that will produce electricity, heat and, hopefully, lithium.
Product design policy will be key to circular economy, EU says
As the European Union seeks to transition to a ‘circular economy’, the policy focus in 2021 will turn to products: how they are designed, and why so many seem to be made to throw away.
Energy: A critical raw material in its own right?
Access to affordable energy is a key factor underpinning the competitiveness of European industries. But as the green transition gains momentum, pressure is building to put a higher price signal on energy and CO2 emissions, leaving regulators in a quandary.
Commission slows down on returning drug manufacturing to Europe
Despite widespread hopes for a quick shift towards 'strategic autonomy', the European Commission has made clear it needs another two years of reflection before coming up with proposals to reduce the risk of shortages caused by over-reliance on third-country medicine production.
Raw materials: the missing link in Europe’s drive for batteries
While Europe is rapidly catching up with China on investments into batteries for electric cars, it is still lagging behind when it comes to securing supplies of the critical raw materials that are needed to produce them.
EU’s Sefcovic: Europe must be ‘much more strategic’ on raw materials
The European Union “cannot achieve” climate neutrality without critical raw materials like lithium and rare earths, says Commission vice-president Maroš Šefčovič. It now needs to be “much more strategic” in relations with supplier countries in order to ensure the bloc's “strategic autonomy,” he argues.
Critical raw materials
The European Commission has launched a fresh attempt at securing access to minerals like lithium and rare earth elements, saying those will be critical to underpin Europe's growth in digital and green industries.
Europe faces up to China’s supremacy on raw materials
When the flu pandemic hit Europe and disrupted global supply chains this year, the EU came to a sobering realisation – it cannot continue relying solely on imports for raw materials like lithium and rare earths which are critical for the bloc’s digital and green industries.