Can Europe Become Self-Sufficient in Critical Raw Materials?

Between Regulatory Ambition and Industrial Reality

Europe is facing one of the most significant economic challenges of the 21st century: securing stable access to critical raw materials. Without them, there is no energy transition, no electric mobility, no hydrogen technologies, and no advanced industrial digitalization.

The question increasingly raised in policy and industry discussions is:

Can the European Union become self-sufficient in critical raw materials?

The answer is not binary. It requires examining both regulatory ambition and actual industrial capacity.

Metals as the Foundation of Modern Industry

Critical raw materials – such as palladium, platinum, rhodium, lithium, nickel, and cobalt – are not peripheral resources. They form the backbone of modern economic systems.

Platinum group metals (PGMs) are essential for catalytic converters, chemical processes, and emerging hydrogen applications. Lithium, nickel, and cobalt are fundamental to lithium-ion batteries powering electric vehicles and grid-scale energy storage.

Yet primary extraction of many of these materials remains geographically concentrated. This creates structural exposure to geopolitical risks, trade tensions, and supply chain disruptions.

In this context, metal recovery is no longer merely an environmental activity.

It becomes a stabilizing mechanism within the raw materials system.

The Critical Raw Materials Act: Ambitious but Demanding

The European Union’s Critical Raw Materials Act (CRMA) clearly defines its direction: by 2030, at least 25% of the EU’s annual consumption of strategic raw materials should come from recycling.

This is an ambitious target. Achieving it requires industrial capacity at scale – not pilot projects or symbolic initiatives.

In practical terms, it demands:

• advanced processing installations,
• high-level metallurgical expertise,
• robust logistics infrastructure,
• technological innovation,
• transparent environmental reporting.

Regulation sets the framework.

Industry determines the pace of execution.

Operational Scale as a Measure of Readiness

In 2024, 202,502.61 tonnes of materials containing critical and strategic metals passed through Elemental Group’s processing installations. In volumetric terms, this corresponds to approximately 130,000–170,000 cubic meters of feedstock – the equivalent of 18–24 full-size football fields filled one meter high.

This scale demonstrates that urban mining in Europe has moved beyond niche activity. It is industrial infrastructure.

Operating across four continents and encompassing more than 35 specialized companies, Elemental Group continues to expand its recovery capabilities in areas such as:

• platinum group metals (PGMs),
• electronic waste processing,
• lithium-ion battery recycling,
• metal concentrates and secondary feedstock.

Volume alone, however, is not the defining factor. Efficiency and process quality are critical. In the case of spent automotive catalysts, recovery rates can reach up to 95% of contained metals. Analysis of printed circuit boards (PCBs) shows that 100 kg of material may contain approximately 21 kg of copper alongside trace amounts of high-value precious metals.

These figures illustrate that secondary “urban deposits” represent tangible strategic value.

Transparency as a Strategic Advantage

Self-sufficiency is not solely about physical access to materials. It is also about trust, traceability, and environmental accountability throughout the value chain.

In 2024, Elemental Group comprehensively calculated and reported its Scope 1–3 emissions (market-based) for the first time, reaching 110,145.36 t CO2e, with nearly 70% of electricity consumption sourced from renewable energy.

Such reporting is not merely a compliance exercise. It strengthens credibility within industrial partnerships and aligns operations with Europe’s broader climate policy objectives.

An emission intensity of 0.0787 Mg CO2e per tonne of processed waste (location-based) provides a measurable benchmark for process efficiency and continuous improvement.

Industrial maturity begins with measurement.

Can Europe Be Independent?

Full self-sufficiency in critical raw materials within the next decade is unlikely. Geological constraints and global supply networks remain significant structural realities.

However, Europe can substantially increase its resilience.

This requires the simultaneous development of three pillars:

1. Responsible primary extraction where feasible.
2. Rapid scaling of recycling and processing capacity.
3. Integration between industrial capability and regulatory ambition.

Urban mining does not replace traditional mining.

But it can cover a growing share of demand, reduce external exposure, and strengthen supply stability.

The Role of Industry in Delivering Ambition

CRMA defines targets. The energy transition defines urgency.

Industry defines feasibility.

The expansion of recovery capacity, investment in processing infrastructure, and transparent environmental reporting are no longer optional. They are components of Europe’s raw materials security architecture.

Elemental Group’s operational scale, technological capabilities, and integrated ESG reporting reflect the type of industrial readiness required to support Europe’s strategic objectives.

Europe may not become fully self-sufficient in critical raw materials.

But it can become significantly more resilient and less dependent.

Urban mining is one of the instruments enabling that shift.

And its importance will continue to grow with every tonne of metal returned to circulation.