“The selection of these projects is good news. Dutch entrepreneurs can make a significant contribution to strengthening the security of supply of critical raw materials in Europe. This will reduce our strategic dependence. It also demonstrates that Dutch industry, in the field of critical raw materials and advanced recycling, has the potential to translate knowledge and innovation into large-scale market applications.”
Minister Heleen Herbert (Economic Affairs and Climate)
EU Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA)
The availability of critical raw materials and intermediate products for Dutch and European industry is not only the foundation of the economy, but also essential for our security, the energy transition and digitalisation. That is why, through the Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA), Europe is committed to reducing high-risk dependencies in supply chains and increasing security of supply.
One of the cornerstones of the CRMA is that companies with a mining, processing or recycling project can be awarded the ‘strategic project’ label if it makes a significant contribution to the security of supply of strategic raw materials for the EU. Recognition of these projects gives them better access to funding at EU level and support for business development.
Designated Dutch projects
Myne Circular Metals recycles low-grade metal scrap into high-quality secondary aluminium and copper, to replace primary raw materials in industrial applications. The aim is to scale up to several EU facilities, each with a capacity of 50,000 tonnes per year.
Back to Battery uses hydrometallurgy to convert materials from lithium-ion batteries into lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese and graphite for the EU market. Starting with 2,000 tonnes per year in the Netherlands, the aim is to scale up to 26,000 tonnes per year. This equates to approximately 10 per cent of the European market by 2030.
Mitsubishi Materials focuses on secondary smelting and refining operations for copper and tungsten. The project can recover high-purity copper from electronic waste streams via a closed metallurgical process, and the technology is already in commercial use at other European facilities. Planned production is 60 kilotonnes of copper cathodes.
CRITICAL. is committed to recovering as many critical raw materials and other metals as possible, in a sustainable manner, from end-of-life printed circuit boards for supply to the European manufacturing industry. Printed circuit boards contain a wide variety of elements, which makes recovery difficult. Initially, the plant will focus on nine elements, with the aim of eventually recovering and refining 24 different elements.
